


Isabella Volturi

by MarieCarro



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, New Moon AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-21
Updated: 2013-05-04
Packaged: 2017-12-09 02:30:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 97,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/768927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarieCarro/pseuds/MarieCarro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being left by Edward, I couldn't stand the thought of him controlling me even in his absence. I admit it was an act of defiance, but it was a decision that brought me more happiness than I'd ever thought I'd experience. New Moon AU/Canon</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**_This story has gone through an online beta program and had any minor mistakes corrected on 18/02/2016_ **

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo!**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue!**

**These two are the best for helping me!**

**Also thank you to Project Team Beta that beta'd this chapter for me. They really helped me a lot!**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

…

**ISABELLA VOLTURI**

**by**

**MARIECARRO**

**Rated: M**

**Genre: Supernatural**

**AU**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

"Goodbye, Bella," he said in the same quiet, peaceful voice.

"Wait!" I choked out the word, reaching for him, willing my deadened legs to carry me forward.

I thought he was reaching for me, too. But his cold hands locked around my wrists and pinned them to my sides. He leaned down, and pressed his lips very lightly to my forehead for the briefest instant. My eyes closed.

"Take care of yourself," he breathed, cool against my skin.

There was a light, unnatural breeze. My eyes flashed open. The leaves on a small vine maple shuddered with the gentle wind of his passage.

He was gone.

He had left me here all alone with absolutely nothing. All of it was over.

Love, life, and meaning, all of it…over.

I'd told him that my soul was his already and now he'd taken it with him as he left me here…alone. With only a promise that he broke as soon as he made it. As if he could ever erase himself from my memory. For me, he would always exist.

I felt the urge to walk after him into the forest but I stopped myself. It was a completely useless action; as if I would be able to find him anyway. My heart wouldn't be able to feel him anymore since it was left at my feet, shattered and beyond repair. Instead, I turned around and walked back to the house. My legs felt heavy – as if my feet were made out of lead, but I kept on walking.

How could he do this to me? To us?

The feeling of a carpet being pulled out from under my feet overwhelmed me. For the short amount of seven months, I'd had it all: love, friends, and a family in which I was loved and accepted. The world I belonged in - a world where I didn't stumble around trying to keep myself upright because I felt comfortable enough to be myself. And he took that from me.

Once inside the house, I sat down at the kitchen table and stared unseeingly at the wall. Deep in thought, I didn't realize how the time passed, so when I heard tires on the driveway, I frowned at the clock in confusion. Was that Charlie? What was he doing home at this hour? I wasn't expecting him home for at least two hours.

The front door opened and Charlie called out for me. "Bella?"

I didn't move – I couldn't find the energy to do so – and Charlie walked into the kitchen looking very sad. He'd obviously heard about the Cullens' departure and felt sympathy for me. His expression did it for me and I broke.

With a gasp, I clutched at my heart and started to sob. My tears fell freely down my cheeks and stained my jeans. I tried to stop the tears, I really did, but it was impossible. My heart was shattered and no matter what happened – no matter how much time passed – it would always have scar tissue that couldn't heal. My other half, my soul, had left me and I was completely empty without him, like a vase without its flowers.

Charlie, who had always been uncomfortable when it came to feelings, didn't hesitate as he walked into the kitchen and put his arms around me. "I'm sorry, baby girl," he said in my ear, and I leaned heavily against his chest. He allowed me to cry and didn't try to pull away. He must have realized how much I needed his support right then.

I felt him reach for something on the table and crumple it up in his hand. I didn't exactly care what it was. I was aching too much.

I must have fallen asleep against Charlie at some point because I was startled awake when he carried me upstairs to my room and put me on my bed.

"I didn't mean to wake you. Just go back to sleep."

I didn't protest. My lids were heavy and my eyes were very sore. I was sure that I wasn't the least bit attractive at the moment.

I turned over on my side but that made me face my window – and when I saw that it was slightly open, I started to cry once again. Never again would _he_ come through my window and have me sleep in his arms. Never again would I feel his cold breath on my neck as I fell asleep.

I clutched my pillow in my fist and buried my face in it. I wanted nothing more than for a dreamless sleep to make me forget my pain, if only for a few hours. That would be bliss. And for once, I got my wish for sleep, but it was everything except dreamless.

Different memories from my time with my love jumped through my mind.

" _I think I hear your mother," he said, grinning again._

" _Don't leave me," I cried, an irrational surge of panic flooding through me. I couldn't let him go – he might disappear from me again._

_He read the terror in my eyes for a short second. "I won't," he promised solemnly, and then he smiled. "I'll take a nap."_

…

" _Is it this boy?" she whispered._

_I opened my mouth to lie, but her eyes were scrutinizing my face, and I knew she would see through that._

" _He's part of it," I admitted. No need to confess how big a part. "So, have you had a chance to talk with Edward?" I asked._

" _Yes." She hesitated, looking at his perfectly still form. "And I want to talk to you about that."_

_Uh-oh. "What about?" I asked._

" _I think that boy is in love with you," she accused, keeping her voice low._

" _I think so, too," I confided._

...

" _Shhh, Bella, calm down."_

" _Don't leave me," I begged in a broken voice._

" _I won't," he promised. "Now relax before I call the nurse back to sedate you."_

_But my heart couldn't slow._

" _Bella." He stroked my face anxiously. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here as long as you need me."_

" _Do you swear you won't leave me?" I whispered. I tried to control the gasping, at least. My ribs were throbbing._

_He put his hands on either side of my face and brought his face close to mine. His eyes were wide and serious. "I swear."_

…

_Then he smiled his crooked smiled and took my face between his hands. "I told you I'm not going anywhere. Don't be afraid. As long as it makes you happy, I'll be here."_

_I smiled back, ignoring the ache in my cheeks. "You're talking about forever, you know."_

…

" _Stay." The word was slurred._

" _I will," he promised. His voice was beautiful, like a lullaby. "Like I said, as long as it makes you happy…as long as it's what's best for you."_

…

" _Well, I wasn't going to live without you." He rolled his eyes as if that fact were childishly obvious. "But I wasn't sure how_ _to_ do _it – I knew Emmett and Jasper would never help me…so I was thinking maybe I would go to Italy and do something to provoke the Volturi."_

I flinched when I woke and saw the sun streaming in through my window. How ironic! The first day after _they_ left me alone in this wet and forgotten town the sun was shining. I hated how the beaming light was mocking me, and I pulled the cover over my head and stayed there the entire day. I only ate when Charlie came up with something he'd heated in the microwave.

The darkness of the night fell again outside my window and I was still in bed. Oddly enough, I felt completely exhausted and I quickly fell asleep.

…

" _Well, I wasn't going to live without you," He rolled his eyes as if that fact were childishly obvious. "But I wasn't sure how to_ do _it – I knew Emmett and Jasper would never help me…so I was thinking maybe I would go to Italy and do something to provoke the Volturi."_

I didn't want to believe he was serious, but his golden eyes were brooding, focused on something far away in the distance as he contemplated ways to end his own life. Abruptly, I was furious.

" _What is a_ Volturi _?" I demanded._

"The Volturi are a family," he explained, his eyes still remote. "A very old, very powerful family of our kind. They are the closest thing our world has to a royal family, I suppose. Carlisle lived with them briefly in his early years, in Italy, before he settled in America – do you remember the story?"

"Of course I remember."

The next day, Charlie made me get up and out of bed – to shower at least – but I couldn't see the meaning of it. Why should I do anything? Since _he_ left I was back at the beginning, back before all of this started but with memories that would haunt me forever. Out of synch with everyone, stumbling around and never finding my place in the world, just feeling utterly abnormal.

_They_ had chased all of those feelings away. They made me feel at home, and I could be completely myself around all the other abnormalities. I had accepted it then, that I wasn't normal, but without them here, it was hard to see how I could have accepted it. How could I accept the fact that I wasn't normal?

Because I wasn't normal, that was matter what life threw at me when I was around them I had always been able to go through it because I had never felt as strong as I felt when I was in that world. My world; I knew that it was my world and I missed it. I missed living in it.I had chosen to live in that world a long time ago, but now it was out of my reach. But I desperately wanted to live in it again, no matter the costs.

The only problem was that I had to find a vampire to bring me into that world, and I didn't exactly know a lot of them. I knew _of_ them. I knew that there was another family in Alaska – The Denali coven – that were an extended family of _them_ but that was about it. And also that family in Italy, the royal one called the Volturi. I'd dreamt of the time I heard about them for the last two nights. I didn't know what it was but I couldn't shake that memory away from me. It was on repeat in my head.

Several days passed in the same slow and empty pace that it had since I was left behind, and every night I dreamt about the Volturi. It was either that memory from my birthday or it was about the time when I saw the painting of them and their names just rang in my head day and night.

Aro, Caius and Marcus.

What was it that made me think about them exactly? I didn't really know anything about them except that they had a permanent residence in Italy.

I decided that I would probably not find answers to my questions, so tried to ignore it the best I could.

It was hard, though. I made an effort to get back to the routine I had before the Cullens'. My friends from school tried to distract me and invited me to come along on all kinds of things. And I did all I could to keep my thoughts from wandering.

Still, every night I was haunted by the same dream.

One night, about a month later, I sat upright in my bed because for once I couldn't sleep. I had just realized why I couldn't get the Volturi out of my head.

They were the key – the key to getting me into the world where I belonged. If they couldn't help me, nobody could. They _were_ the royalties of that world after all, at least according to _him._

But how exactly would I find them? Italy was a big country – a country I'd never been to – and it would be like literally trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Maybe if I…

No, that was stupid. It could not be that easy.

I got up and out of bed and did something I had not done in a month. I stood by my window and opened it wide. The fresh and cool air blew around me as I stared out into the night.

Tears that I had not allowed myself to cry made my vision blurry. "Why did you do this?" I asked the dark. "Am I really that unlovable? I thought you loved me. You said that you loved me _every day._ Was all of that a lie? Every kiss and caress?"

I shivered then so I closed the window.

I cast a glance at my alarm clock – Charlie was probably already asleep – and then my computer. It wouldn't exactly hurt to try.

I didn't want to disturb Charlie, so I tried to be as quiet as possible when I powered on my ancient computer. It coughed awake, and I was pretty sure the noise would wake him up, but I couldn't stop now.

Fifteen minutes later I had the internet up and typed in the words _Volturi, Italy_ in the search engine. A few hits came up but at the top it read; _did you mean_ _ **Volterra, Italy**_ _?_

Hmm…that could work. I clicked the link and found a page with the city's history. There wasn't a lot but I did found something interesting. Every year on March 19th, there was a big festival in the city that celebrated a Christian missionary by the name of Father Marcus. Fifteen hundred years ago he had successfully driven all the vampires out of the city, and Volterra had been announced as the safest city in the world from vampire attacks. Father Marcus had then traveled to Romania where he became a martyr when he tried to eliminate the vampire threat there as well.

Was it simply a coincidence that Marcus was the name of one of the family members and that this missionary had driven out _vampires_ from the city? I didn't really believe in coincidences, not since I was introduced to the supernatural world, so I was pretty sure that this Father Marcus was connected to the Volturi somehow.

I continued clicking and found a home page for the city. It was in Italian so I had a hard time understanding all of it. Thank you for Google Translate!

Most of it was about what I'd just read. History of the city, population, tourist attractions, etc…

I thought hard about what I'd just read. After all of my dreams, I was almost certain that I was supposed to find the Volturi. That it was my destiny somehow.

Before I changed my mind, I pulled up a site for flights from Seattle to Florence, Italy. I had money. It wasn't much but it was enough for a ticket down to Italy and a ticket home if that would be necessary. Luck was actually on my side for once and there was a flight in six hours. It would take me about three and a half hours to drive to Seattle so I had enough time. I even found a ticket that wasn't too expensive so I quickly booked it.

It wasn't until I started to pack a few things that it hit me that I was actually doing this. I was leaving in the middle of the night to seek out a royal coven of vampires in Italy and ask them to change me. How fucked up was that? But I couldn't find it in me to stop myself. I wanted to do this. But what would I tell Charlie? He would be devastated if he found out in the morning that I had practically run away from home, and if I actually got my wish granted, then what would become of him? Would he believe that I had been involved in some kind of accident on my trip that cost me my life?

I didn't dwell on it, though. It would only waste time. All of that would hopefully get solved eventually.

With a small bag in my hand and all of my money and passport in my pocket, I sneaked down the stairs and into the kitchen to write a note for Charlie. That was the least I could do. He would find it very soon since he would probably wake up when I started my truck. That thing was a monster after all and it definitely roared like one.

I thought about what I would write for about five minutes and then quickly jotted it down.

_Charlie,_

_I'm so sorry to leave you like this without any sort of goodbye. I hope you'll forgive me someday but I just can't stay here anymore. I can't stay in a town where I'm constantly reminded of the fact that Edward left me. I need to get away and start over. I hope you understand that._

_Please don't call mom. I'm not going to her place. I just need to be alone so I'll hit the road and see where it leads me._

_Just so you know, I really appreciate that you let me come and live with you and I know I've never really told you this but I love you._

_Respect my wishes and don't try to find me._

_Love_

_Bella_

I read through the note several times, and for a second, I wondered if it was really fair of me to do this. In that one note, I could almost feel how this would affect Charlie and the pain I was causing him by doing this.

In the first few weeks, he would believe that I was fine and that I was only trying to find myself, which was truer than he realized. After that, he would call Mom and ask her if she'd heard anything from me, and they would both panic when they realized that neither had gotten a single call. They would try to reach me and when they couldn't, a search would be ordered. Later on, I would be placed in the files of missing persons, and years from now when the case had gone cold, Charlie and Renée would forever wonder what exactly happened with their girl and why she ran away.

A single tear fell from my eye and stained the note. They would never understand why I did this, but it wasn't exactly like I could explain it to them. It was an impossible situation I found myself in. On the one side, I could stay at home with Charlie and live my life, but I would forever feel like I was missing out on my real life – the life I was supposed to live.

On the other side, I could go tonight and never come back. I would cause my friends and family great pain, but I would find my place in the world and I would be happy, sort of.

I took a deep breath, folded the note in half and leaned it against the coffee machine before walking out of the door.

Before I started my truck, I took one last look at the house that had been my home for the last nine months. Forks had definitely grown on me, and I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't miss it. I had experienced more happiness in this town than I had in my entire life, and it was all thanks to a certain family of vampires that made me feel like I'd finally arrived home after a long trip.

I knew that even if I didn't find what I was looking for, I would never set foot in Forks again. I wouldn't come back. Once I passed the city limit that was it. I silently said my goodbye to the town and took a deep breath before I started my rumbling engine.

When I backed out from the driveway, I saw a light came on in Charlie's bedroom, and I stole one last glance at him when I saw him looking out his window. He looked confused and slightly worried. I would never forget the last glimpse that I got of my father's face.

Out on the road, I pushed the truck to its limit and headed in the direction of Seattle. Something deep inside of me took root in my stomach and spread through my limbs; the feeling of a destiny about to be fulfilled – the feeling of freedom and adrenaline coursing through my veins. I was actually feeling something and it elated me. I felt energy I had not had for a week, and I pressed down on the gas a bit, but when the engine started to protest, I eased off it again. The truck had to work all the way to Seattle or I'd be doomed.

I had three and a half hours to kill, and I was just about to turn on the radio when I remembered who had given it to me. After what they did to me, I would not use the things they gave me. I would rather they took them back but I knew that was impossible.

Just so that I wouldn't be tempted – I took off one of my shoes and smashed the radio with it until it was useless. It made me feel better somehow – as if I'd gotten part of a bittersweet revenge.

It was still dark outside and I was almost alone on the road. The dark was both liberating and stifling. It felt as if someone was watching me, and several times my mind played tricks on me, making me believe that I just saw something flash outside my window.

My heart thumped loudly in my chest and I tried to keep my breathing calm. _Okay, Bella. Shake it off. There's no one out there so just calm down._ It helped to an extent but the feeling didn't go away until I drove out of Forks.

The sound of a wolf howling made me jump in my seat and immediately scolded myself for being so tense. _You're a wimp, Swan. Do you know that? Yes, thank you, I do know that and I don't need you to remind me._

The rest of the journey was very uneventful. Had I not been so wound up by what I was actually doing, I might have fallen asleep behind the wheel. I had not slept in almost twenty-four hours after all, and I usually had to sleep for at least seven hours every night to even function. It was really hard when I drove on the long dark roads, but whenever I drove through a county or city that had their streetlights on; I sobered up and told myself that it wasn't much farther.

When I finally reached Seattle, the sun was coming up and the roads were getting busier. A few cars honked at me because of the speed I maintained. Well, I'm sorry if my truck can't handle the busy life of the city, but people should respect the elderly.

Sea-Tac was packed with people when I arrived and I groaned. I really hoped that my flight wouldn't be delayed or something like that. I just wanted to be on my way for real and get out of the country. But my luck couldn't work forever. The line at the check-in counter was insane and going through security was mind-numbing, but eventually, I got onto the plane and I relaxed a bit. The flight would take over eleven hours so I hoped I would be able to get some shut-eye. I crossed my fingers that I didn't have a seat close to someone with a baby 'cause that would just be typical.

I must have fallen asleep really quickly because when I woke up there was less than two hours til landing. I stretched my arms and back the best I could in the seat and looked around. Most people wore headphones, watching the in-flight movie, but I didn't feel like doing that, so I pulled out a book from my bag and read for the remaining time.

It would be early in the morning in Italy when we arrived, so I was happy that I'd slept. I wouldn't feel tired and need to sleep before I continued my trip.

Suddenly I realized that I'd made a terrible mistake. I had absolutely no idea how to get to Volterra. I had no car, and in my rush to get going, I hadn't thought of looking for rental places in Florence. I was doomed. If I was lucky, I could get access to a car in a week or two. Great. Just fucking great! I leaned back in my seat and groaned. I should have known that I couldn't take a trip like this without planning.

The woman who sat next to me turned to me. " _Come_ _si_ _dice_?" she asked me in Italian.

I racked my brain for what that could mean, and I realized that she was asking me if I was okay. I was so glad that I actually knew how to answer her. " _Sto_ _bene_." I was sure my pronunciation was really bad but at least I said something.

" _Sicuro_?"

Damn, what did that mean? I was probably making a fool of myself since I answered her in Italian before, and now suddenly I didn't know what she was saying, but what could I do? So I shrugged, "Sorry, I don't speak a lot of Italian," I said.

The woman smiled. "Ah, you're American," she said with a heavy accent.

"Yeah."

"So tell me what is the matter? I can see something is wrong," she asked in a motherly way.

"Nothing really, I just realized that I'd forgotten to rent a car for the rest of my trip."

"Where are you going?"

"Volterra."

"That's no problem." The woman laughed. "There are bus rides since it's only about an hour from Florence."

"Really?"

"Of course, why wouldn't there be?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I guess I didn't think about that."

"You Americans are funny," the woman said before she put her headphones back on. I didn't know if I should feel offended by her comment, so I decided to just look out the window instead. I hoped there would be a bus so that I wouldn't have to wait too long. I couldn't exactly say that I had a lot of patience at the moment.

As soon as we were allowed off the plane, I took off toward the international desk and asked them about a bus station. They were kind enough to find bus rides for me. Sadly, there was a bus that had recently left and the next one wouldn't arrive in two and a half hours, still I bought a ticket and walked in the direction they pointed at.

I easily found the station and sat down heavily on a bench. Had I had more time, I could have looked around the city while I waited, but there just wasn't enough time for that, so I had no choice but to stay put and wait here.

" _Mi_ _scusi_?" A man in desperate need of a shave came up to me and handed me a sheet of paper. It had a lot of text in Italian on it and a picture of a beautiful woman. It looked like one of those, 'Have you seen this person?' leaflets.

For a fleeting moment, I saw Charlie in the man's expression. I could see how Charlie would put up the same kind of leaflets with my photo on them and ask people all over if they'd seen me anywhere. Eventually, they would find my truck at Sea-Tac – overflowing with parking tickets – and they would understand that I'd flown somewhere in the world.

I tried to shake those thoughts from my mind as I turned back to the man and shook my head with an apologetic expression. "Sorry," I said in a small voice. My heart ached for the man that had lost this woman that obviously meant a lot to him. Was it his girlfriend? Wife? Maybe his sister.

I tried to give the leaflet back but he just looked at me with a defeated expression. " _Tenere_ _il_ ," he said and walked away. I sighed as I saw him giving out the leaflets to several others. Some were nice and actually talked to him but others just walked past him, ignoring him completely and looking in the opposite direction as if he had a contagious disease they would catch if they looked at him.

I really wished I could do something for him. I knew how it felt to lose someone you love after all, but I was in a foreign country with nothing except the things I had in my bag and the clothes I had on. I wouldn't be able to help him no matter how much I wanted it.

The man's broken expression did not leave my thoughts. Not even when I got on the bus could I stop thinking about him, and he kept me company all the way to Volterra, sometimes his face was replaced by Charlie's and every time that happened I cringed. But once I got off the bus, I cleared my mind and focused on what I was here for. I was hunting for vampires after all.

The entire setting felt totally wrong. The sun was high in the sky without a single cloud as far as you could see. The shadows created by the buildings all around me didn't provide any protection from the sun at all. How could vampires live here without getting detected? Did they live like 'classical' vampires and only come out at night? I just didn't understand it. So how would I find them? I decided to just go with the flow and act like a normal tourist. Maybe I would come across something that could help.

Nothing happened, though. I walked around the entire day without any luck whatsoever. The sun was going down and I had not been smart enough to look for hotels. When I thought about it, it wasn't much I had actually preplanned. All of this was probably just a big mistake. I sighed.

"What's the matter? Are you lost?" A smooth female voice said behind me. I turned around and saw a stunningly beautiful woman leaning against the wall. She had long mahogany hair, pale white skin, clothes that emphasized her long and lean figure and her eyes were the strangest shade of violet. She was definitely a vampire and the product of her eye color was probably blue contacts covering her red eyes. After being in the proximity of vampires every day for seven months, I had no problem in recognizing a vampire when I saw one.

She tilted her head to the side when I didn't answer. Could this vampire be a part of the Volturi? And if so, what should I do to work this to my advantage? What if she was out hunting? She wouldn't listen to me if I told her what I was doing here. She frowned when I still didn't answer. She either thought I was dumb or didn't understand. She opted for the latter.

" _Parla_ _inglese_?"

"Yes, sorry!" I told her and shook my head. "You just startled me."

She smiled, probably thinking it was her beauty that rendered me speechless. Had I not been used to vampires, that would have been a big factor, but I was used to vampires and I had practically lived under the same roof as a certain blonde vampire so beauty wasn't anything new to me.

"So are you?" she asked. What?

"Am I what?" Now she really thought I was dumb. Oh well, what to do.

"Lost. You looked slightly lost before."

It felt weird to stand not ten feet away from a vampire I knew drank from humans and still felt completely at ease.

"No, I'm not lost. I just don't have a place to stay for the night," I told her truthfully.

"Really? You know I have a place you could go to. It's a motel of sorts for tourists like you. Interested?"

"Very." I wondered if she realized I played her just as much as she played me. If she didn't, I guessed I was a better actress than I thought.

"Good. C'mon, I'll show you the way."

This vampire was very good at acting human. Had I not known what she was, I would have been fooled. It didn't look like she made any effort in walking at a human pace, and she must really have control over her bloodlust if she could walk so close to me without attacking.

She did not try to keep up any sort of conversation, so I walked quietly next to her.

We entered a relatively modern building and the first room looked like some kind of reception area. The mahogany desk was unoccupied but there were other people here, humans by the look of it, all of them tourists, sitting in what looked like a waiting area.

"All right everyone, follow me and I'll show you to your rooms," The vampire said and walked toward a big elevator that would fit at least thirty or forty people. I tried to keep as close to the vampire as possible so that I could see what she was doing. What was this place? Could I have been mistaken? Was this really just a motel? But why would a motel have an elevator this big?

I saw the vampire click on the button that took us to the bottom floor, probably hundreds of feet below ground.

The elevator dinged and we walked out into another reception area. The walls were paneled wood, the floors carpeted in thick, deep green. There were no windows, but large, brightly lit paintings of the Tuscan countryside hung everywhere as replacements. Pale leather couches were arranged in cozy groupings, and the glossy tables held crystal vases full of vibrantly colored bouquets.

In the middle of the room was a high, polished mahogany counter. The woman behind it was definitely human. She was tall, with dark skin and green eyes. When she saw the vampire she stood up straighter. "Good evening, Heidi."

"Gianna." The vampire, apparently named Heidi, greeted the woman with a simple nod. Her expression told me that she saw herself as way above Gianna. I wondered once again if I could be wrong. Why would a human woman, who definitely knew that Heidi was a vampire, work here if this was where the Volturi had their home?

"Everyone's waiting in the throne room," Gianna said, Heidi did not acknowledge her comment. She simply kept on walking, leading me and the group of people through a long corridor that ended with giant double doors that were beautifully carved out in some kind of dark wood.

I turned around when I heard murmurs behind me. The other humans were looking slightly uneasy as if they regretted coming here, and a few looked very confused as if they didn't _know_ what they were doing here.

The double doors opened and my eyes widened at the sight before me. A group of fourteen vampires, all with dark crimson eyes that looked almost black, stood in the big marble room. I had never seen such a big collection of vampires before, and I felt all of my confidence drain from my body.

Three of the vampires I recognized as the men from the painting that used to be in _the_ study, Aro, Caius and Marcus, but the others were complete strangers. One of the three, the one who was dark haired and slightly older than the other, looked like he had some kind of conversation with the childlike vampire in front of him. He looked into her eyes as he held her hand tightly, but when we entered the room, he dropped their still entwined hands and turned to us with a big smile that showed off all of his white teeth. Once again, had I not been used to vampires, I would have shuddered at that sight.

"Ah! Welcome, guests! Welcome to Volterra!" he exclaimed. He had a sing-song voice and to the other humans, he probably looked very open and friendly. To me, however, he looked lethal. I didn't know why. I just got that vibe from him that this was a vampire you respected.

That was when I realized exactly what was going on here and threw a glance at the other humans. When Heidi picked me up from the street, she had indeed been hunting, but not for herself. No, she had collected enough food for her entire coven and I was on the menu.

Everything happened very quickly then. The vampires didn't try to hide what they were anymore as they surrounded us. When a few of the humans saw their red eyes, they gasped and some even started to scream. The two in the back tried to turn around toward the door and flee, and they were the first to die. Screams erupted from the remaining and they scattered around the entire room as they tried to escape.

I didn't run. I knew it was fruitless, so I stayed in my spot and closed my eyes, so I wouldn't have to watch all the killing. Screams turned into gurgles, cracking of necks being broken went through the room, and I just waited for my fate.

It didn't come. I felt nothing but the wind coming from the vampires' bodies as they ran all over the room.

Soon it was all very quiet but I was still very much alive. I chanced a peek from my left eye and saw the dark haired male and childlike girl standing right in front of me and gasped because I had not expected that. My heart was beating wildly and the little girl looked more annoyed with every passing second while the male looked almost amused and a bit intrigued.

Now when he was closer to me, I saw how he looked different from other vampires. He was in his twenties, his skin was translucently white, like onionskin, and it looked just as delicate. His long black hair reached below his shoulder blades and it stood in shocking contrast to his skin. His eyes were bright red, revealing that he had recently fed, but the color was clouded, milky somehow. Was he a vampire that had trouble with his eyesight? I had never heard of anything like that.

The girl had pale brown hair up in a neat, tight bun. She was unbelievably small. Maybe even smaller than A…Alice but I wasn't sure. Her body had no definite curves. Had her face not been so womanly angelic, I would have thought she was a boy. She could not have been old when she was changed, twelve maybe thirteen but not over that.

"What's your name, young one?" the male asked lowly in his sing-song voice.

"I-Isabella Swan," I stammered out. I could not deny the fact that I was completely terrified and I really regretted my choice in coming here now. What would they do to me? Why hadn't they killed me with the others?

The man dropped the girl's hand and reached out for mine. "Pleasure to meet you, Isabella. My name is Aro and this is Jane." He took my hand in his and got a look of concentration in his eyes. His hand was just as cold as I expected so I didn't recoil from the touch. He almost did though for he released my hand and entwined his own in front of him. "Fascinating. Truly fascinating." He breathed out.

"Sorry, but what is fascinating?" I asked but he didn't answer me. Instead, he turned around to face the other vampires. "Alec? Chelsea? Would you mind?" Even though he asked them, his request was clearly not a question. Still, I had no idea what he was talking about. He turned back around and looked at me expectantly, and I was locked into his gaze. After a few seconds, his expectant expression turned into one of wonder and his smile widened. I glanced down at Jane and she looked like a storm cloud. She was furious for some reason but why I didn't know.

"This is incredible!" Aro exclaimed and motioned for the other two men of the trio to come forward. "Brothers! This young woman has thwarted our most powerful gifts, including my own and Jane's, and she's still human. Have you ever heard of anything as extraordinary?"

"Impossible." The blonde hissed while the other dark haired looked only bored. These would be Caius and Marcus then. The blonde looked older than the other two. He must have been in his forties when he was changed and still it felt as if he had less authority than Aro. The other dark-haired vampire was younger than Aro. He looked like he was my age; maybe a year or two older but something in his eyes told me that he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

This entire conversation seemed rather harmless, and I could feel how my heart calmed down. "Nothing's impossible, Caius. Just look at her. She's just witnessed a massacre of her fellow humans. She probably knows what we are and yet she stands there as if it was nothing. She's not even afraid anymore. Her blood smells clean." They were clearly talking loud enough for me to hear to see if they could get a reaction out of me. And I did react, but not in the way they thought I would. I was elated. I came here so I could ask these powerful vampires for immortality. They had not killed me yet so that was a big plus.

The trio turned their backs to me. "Leave us!" Caius shouted out and the vampires left through different sets of doors. Only a black haired female, that followed Aro around like a shadow, stayed behind.

"Renata, don't be anxious," Aro said to the woman. "She's only human and can't harm me."

"Master, please, let me stay," she pleaded.

"I'm sorry, my love, but this is something that needs to be discussed with my brothers in private." He put his hands on her face and kissed her right on the lips before she walked slowly out of the room, never taking her eyes off me. The brothers sat down in what looked like thrones, and I took a look around the room for the first time since I entered. I was surprised to see that there wasn't a single drained body anywhere. Not even a single speck of blood on the white marble floor was in sight.

"So, Isabella, there is something I've wanted to ask you." Aro's voice returned my attention to him and his brothers. "You know what we are, don't you?"

I swallowed before I nodded. "Yes, I do."

"And may I ask how you found out?" Once again, disguised as a question but it was clearly a demand. I did not know if it would be bad if I outed my ex-family, but it felt as if I didn't really have a choice.

"I'm acquainted with a coven of your kind that used to live where I'm from."

"This coven told you our secret?" Caius glared at me. Why was he so angry?

"Yes," I corrected myself. "Or rather I found out by myself."

All three narrowed their eyes, even Marcus, before they continued asking questions. "And who is the leader of this coven?"

I knew from the story that C-Carlisle had lived with these three during a time in his youth, so they would absolutely know who I meant, but I was at the same time afraid of getting Carlisle into trouble. He had always been so kind to me. Until he left me that is – without as much as a goodbye. Maybe he wasn't as kind as I'd always thought he'd been. Maybe he deserved what was coming for him.

I looked down at the floor and whispered out the answer. "Carlisle Cullen." It still hurt to say his name but I tried to not think about that when I heard a faint gasp and I looked back up. The three brothers looked shocked but tried not to show it.

"What kind of relationship do you have with Carlisle?" Marcus spoke up for the first time. He had a deep, bass voice that was surprisingly smooth.

"He was a father figure of sorts." I took a deep breath and continued through clenched teeth. "I was romantically involved with his son, E-Edward." His name tore at my heart. Aro exchanged a look with Caius that made shivers go down my spine. How would my relationship with the Cullens' influence their view of me?

"I keep noticing that you use past tense. Why is that?" Aro asked without breaking his eye contact with Caius, who now smiled as wide as his mouth could go.

"They left me because I'm human. And that's why I'm here." Aro and Caius whipped their heads into my direction and looked at me questioningly.

"Elaborate," Caius ordered.

"I want to be one of you," I said without hesitating. "I came here to ask you to change me."

The three brothers exchanged looks and talked too fast and low for me to hear anything. Aro looked interested, Caius looked hesitant and Marcus looked bored. I wrung my hands nervously, terrified of what they would decide.

"And why would you want to become a soulless monster like us?" Aro asked. It was clearly a trick question but I already knew what to answer.

"I don't believe vampires are soulless – because if they were, I wouldn't understand why it was my destiny to become one. In my entire human life, I've always felt misplaced. I never belonged with humans. I've always been abnormal and I've never felt as at home as I feel in the vampire world – because it's the world where I'm supposed to live." I finished my little speech and they immediately turned to each other and started to talk amongst themselves again.

After what felt like hours but was probably not even two minutes in real life, they turned back to me. Their faces showed absolutely no emotion. "As you probably understand, what the Cullens' did when they told you our secret is a crime we don't take lightly. Since we have not been notified of any exposure, I'm fairly certain on the point that you haven't told anyone?"

I shook my head. "I haven't told a soul," I promised.

"Well, we can't have a _human_ know about us so that leaves us with only one choice." My breathing increased when Aro suddenly appeared in front of me and whispered in my ear.

"Your gifts will make for an intriguing immortal, Isabella." I couldn't help but scream out in pain when his teeth pierced my skin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo!**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue!**

**These two are the best for helping me!**

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 2**

As soon as Aro released me, my knees gave away and I fell to the floor. My neck was burning, but it wasn't intolerable… yet. I knew from experience that the sensation would intensify until it felt as if I were burned alive. I had James to thank for that.

I reached my hand to the wound, an automatic response to stop the blood flow even though I knew that the venom had sealed everything inside my body. I opened my eyes—they had closed on their own accord when I was bitten—and saw Aro walk back to his throne. I felt unbelievably faint and dizzy. I couldn't hear a word he was saying, but it must have had something to do with the others because the rest of the Volturi reentered the room. Renata immediately took her place behind Aro.

"My dear friends!" Aro said, loud enough for me to hear. "Let me introduce the newest addition to our ranks. Isabella!" He gestured toward me, and all eyes in the room shifted their attention to me.

The burning was increasing now, and I was shaking from being so tense. My breathing was harsher, but still, it had not reached the point of intolerable.

I saw that the majority of the vampires looked rather displeased by the turn of events. They clearly did not want another one among them, but they didn't say anything—not daring to talk against their leader. Jane, however, was brave enough to take a step forward. "Master, what will she add to the guard? How can she be of use?"

"My dear Jane, you saw with your own eyes that she wasn't affected by your or any of our other gifts. From what I see, she must be a shield, and a very powerful one as well since her gift is as developed as it is already. I'm hoping that all of you will welcome her and train her well."

A chorus of "Yes, Master," echoed through the room.

My left arm was entirely consumed by what now felt like an open fire, and I was struggling to stay quiet. My nails, that Alice had insisted I grow out, were digging into my palms, and I was sure that I was drawing blood. But I couldn't contain it all. Small sounds of pain escaped me, but I clamped my lips shut to prevent anything else from coming out. I didn't want to scream, no matter how much it hurt. I didn't want to show weakness.

"Felix, take Isabella to one of the chambers and make sure she is as comfortable as possible," Aro ordered.

"Yes, Master," a smooth voice said, devoid of emotion. A second later, I felt thick, strong arms lift me up, bridal style. The jostling of my body made the fire worse and my first scream escaped me. "Sorry, little one; I know it hurts," the voice said in my ear, and I shivered. The kindness of his words did not match the cold indifference of his voice.

I looked at the man named Felix. He had black hair, cropped very short, and an olive complexion hiding underneath the pale skin of all vampires. He was broad-shouldered; his build reminded me of Emmett. His eyes were a bright crimson.

In mere seconds, we entered a chamber with a bed in it, and Felix gently placed me on it. The mattress was incredibly soft, as were the comforter and pillows behind my head. But it was very hard to concentrate on anything like that. The venom had spread and my entire left side, from head to toe, was in agonizing pain. My screams increased in volume, and I jerked back and forth on the bed, trying to do anything that would ease the pain.

Felix went back to the door. "I'll see you in three days, little one," he said before he left the room. I heard the faint click of a lock, and I realized that I was locked in. There would no one here with me for the duration of my transformation, no one to stay by my side and comfort me with soothing words. I was completely alone.

My heart was beating both faster and harder, and my back arched as I let out a blood-curdling scream.

….

….

….

How much time had passed? Minutes? Hours? Time didn't mean anything to me anymore. Nothing meant anything to me, only the fire. The fire occupied my every thought, and by now, I couldn't scream anymore since my vocal chords were too sore. That indicated that it was still a long time before the transformation would be complete since the venom would heal my vocal chords before it stopped my heart.

I turned over onto my stomach and buried my face in the pillows. I pulled my knees in under me and grabbed my hair at the roots, pulling with all of my strength. It didn't help, and I felt tears fall down my cheeks as I couldn't stand the pain anymore. I wanted it to be over. I wanted it to end. I wanted to die. I wanted someone to kill me.

When I rolled over on my back again, I accidentally rolled off the bed and got my breath knocked out of me. My breathing had already been shallow before that, so the sudden stop in oxygen to my brain made black spots appear in front of my eyes.

I curled in on myself and stayed down on the floor. I wouldn't be able to get back up on the bed even if I tried, so I didn't.

….

….

….

My hearing was definitely getting better. I could hear things apart from my own screams now – things that were happening behind the locked door. Several times I heard someone walk past it. It made me realize how good my hearing was now since I was fairly certain it was a vampire and that I could actually hear them walking.

My sense of smell was getting stronger by the minute as well. I could smell the woods that the furniture in the room were made of. I could smell the fabrics of the comforter, pillows, and my own clothes. I could also smell the hint of fresh air coming in through the closed window.

Everything was slowly getting clearer for me. I was actually eager to see how my vision was by now, so I opened my eyes. At first, things were blurry as my eyes adjusted to the light in the room, but it only took a second before everything sharpened. Since I hadn't exactly been coherent when Felix brought me here, I wasn't sure how the room looked before, but I was pretty sure all the colors in here hadn't been as vibrant and strong as they were now.

My eyes zeroed in on the curtains that hung about twenty feet away from my face, and I actually witnessed how my vision improved with every passing second. The longer I looked, the more I saw the texture of the fabric, and after only a few minutes, I was able to see the thread count as well. It was kind of cool to witness the progress through my own eyes.

It wasn't until that moment that I realized that I was actually able to focus on other things than the venom burning through my veins. It didn't occupy my every thought anymore, and that made the pain easier to overlook.

I was overjoyed by this fact, but I didn't dare relax just yet. Not much longer now.

….

….

….

I was pretty sure that I was reaching the end of this torture because my fingertips felt oddly cool compared to the rest of my body, as did my toes. Did this mean that there was a day left? An hour? A minute? _Oh, just please let it end soon!_

Not once had anyone come into the room to check on me. The door was still locked, but there was definitely someone outside because I heard their breathing.

My hearing had developed beyond what I thought it would. If I really focused, I could hear humans outside talking and laughing. I was glad that I wasn't close enough to hear their hearts, though.

The burning had withdrawn from my forearms and shins but instead focused on my chest and throat. My inner temperature rose and I clawed at my chest to get my scorching heart out, but no wounds appeared on my skin so I quickly gave up that idea.

" _Master,"_ I heard someone say outside the door.

" _How is she doing, Alec?"_ That was Aro's voice. It was even smoother now than it had been the last time I heard it. How was that possible?

" _It's coming to an end. I've tried to cut off her senses ever since the beginning, thinking her shield would go down in moments of pain, but I can't reach her. I can't even sense her,"_ Alec said, annoyance coloring his voice. Cut off my senses? What did he mean by that? Was that his gift? And what was this talk about my shield? I wasn't shielding myself, although I recalled Aro had said something similar in the throne room right after he bit me.

Aro chuckled. _"Don't feel put out, my friend. She counteracts us all."_ There was a moment of silence, and then Aro spoke again. _"You may go. Felix is coming soon. I'd rather have him close to Isabella when she wakes up."_

Why? What was it about Felix that made him so special? I had not heard anything about a gift.

The heat inside me rose even more in temperature as the top of my head cooled down as well. Now there was only my torso left. The withdrawal of the fire went very quickly, so that must mean that it couldn't be more than a few minutes until my change was complete.

My heart was beating twice as fast as it usually did, and my breathing became shallow once again.

The heat rose in temperature again.

My shoulders and hips were free.

My heart picked up pace.

The flames disappeared entirely from my face and reached just above my belly button.

_Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump._

_Thump-Thump...Thump-Thump...Thump-Thump._

It centered on my heart.

_Thump-Thump…Thump-Thump._

_Thump…Thump._

…

_Thump…Thump._

…

_Thump._

My heart stopped, and I tried to determine how I felt about being alive even if my heart just stopped. I should be dead. Well, technically I was dead, at least, my body was. Since my heart had stopped, I had no more blood flowing through my veins.

_Blood!_

My throat burst into flames and I tried to swallow, hoping that would quench the insane thirst I felt.

I looked up at the ceiling, studying the pattern as I focused my hearing, trying to find something I could drink.

Since my senses were on high alert, I heard the door unlock loud and clear. I was still lying on the floor next to the bed so I did not see who came inside, but I did smell them. One of the smells reminded me of the smell of wet grass and the other smelled like a forest.

I knew it was Aro and Felix, but my instincts did not recognize the smells, so I acted in defense. I quickly got up on my feet and crouched against the wall, a growl ripping out of my mouth. Felix crouched down as well to protect his Master and snapped his teeth at me, warning me not to take even one step closer. My new brain quickly did the math. I knew that I wouldn't be able to take Felix down by myself, not that I wouldn't try if he attacked me. I was strong, which I knew because I could feel the strength in my muscles, but I doubted I was that strong. Felix was a huge guy.

Aro stood tall and glared at me. He was not happy with my behavior, and I automatically cowered down under the gaze of a vampire more powerful than myself. Felix relaxed when he saw that and then walked up to me. I pressed myself up against the wall in an attempt to escape, but it was worthless. Felix grabbed my upper arm hard. I hissed at him, baring my teeth, but he only tightened his grip. He was obviously used to new vampires and their mood swings.

"Isabella," Aro said with dislike. "I know you're new to this, but I won't tolerate this kind of behavior. You might as well learn that now, for you will not get a second chance. Do you understand me?"

I bowed down my head and nodded. I had not gone this far just to get killed because of irrational behavior.

"Good," His tone changed to a more pleasant one. "But let's not think about that right now. We have got more important matters to attend to. You need to feed, but I won't let you loose until you have more control. So I brought your meal inside these walls. Follow me." He turned on his heels and strode down the corridor. Felix pulled violently on my arm and forced me with him. He didn't have to be so hard on me; I wouldn't try anything, but I somehow doubted he would believe me if I told him that, so I kept my mouth shut.

Aro led us down a hall that was passed the reception area. At the end was a thick wooden door that opened to a long spiral staircase. We walked all the way to the bottom, and I felt myself becoming more and more impatient. I didn't want to be down here. I wanted to go outside and hunt. I _needed_ to hunt.

That was when I heard it. The appealing wet sound of a beating heart just on the other side of the basement-like room. My eyes snapped towards the sound, and I saw a boy cowered against the wall. He couldn't have been much older than me and was absolutely terrified. I, however, couldn't think of that. His scent filled the entire room and smelled absolutely delicious. I had to have him! But Felix's hold on my arm was still too strong for me to get free.

"Go on, young one," Aro said coldly. "I have to go but Felix will be upstairs. We'll leave you alone with the boy." Felix let go of my arm, and they both ran back up the stairs, closing the door behind them and leaving me alone. For the boy, the room was too dark to see anything, but I could see just fine. I saw how he shook with fear, and the adrenaline in his blood made the scent even more potent. I walked up to him slowly; I wanted to see if I could scare him more and make his blood even sweeter, so I bent down when I was next to him and breathed in his ear. He jumped and crawled on all fours to the other side of the room.

"Please, please," he repeated again and again. The sudden smell of salt alerted me to the fact that he was crying. Something hit me hard, and I felt the urge to throw up. I felt guilt deep in my stomach for making this worse for him. I ran up behind him, put my hands on his head and quickly snapped his neck. The fresh blood that flowed just under his skin took the guilt away as I sank my teeth into his neck and started to drink greedily.

The taste was out of this world. It was like eating food prepared by the most skilled chef, one that could make the flavors just right and the food to just melt in your mouth. It filled my stomach with warmth and I moaned. I had never tasted anything that delicious.

He was drained in only seconds. When I was done, my actions were registered in my brain, and I pulled away from the body as fast as I could. I crawled to a wall and put my arms around my knees. No matter how delicious the boy tasted, I had just killed someone. I rocked back and forth, and an irritating stinging rose in my eyes. I tried to rub it away with my hand, but it didn't help. My breath caught in my throat as if I was crying.

Maybe that was what I was doing. Was this the vampire way of crying? Dry sobbing? I hated the feeling. It felt absolutely awful, but I couldn't stop.

The door opened above me, and Felix appeared in front of me. I glanced up at him with guilty eyes, and I saw how his eyebrows were low over his eyes. His features were very hard, but when he saw my position and what I was doing, his features actually softened. The new expression made it obvious that Felix was actually attractive as long as he didn't scowl. He sat down on his heels and leveled his eyes with mine.

"It will get easier, I promise," he said. This was the first time I had heard him talk since I 'woke up', and his voice was like the sound coming from a bass violin: deep and smooth. "My first kill was really hard on me too. It is for all of us, but soon you'll be able to see it as a necessity." He offered me his hand, and I gratefully grabbed it. He helped me up, no matter how useless that was, but I still appreciated it. It showed me that he was accepting me as one of them. "Come on. Aro ordered me to take you to the throne room."

"Why?" It was the first word I'd uttered in three days, and my voice was incredibly soft, sounding like chiming bells. Felix smiled when he heard it.

"You need to officially be one of us before you can take part in our lifestyle. It's a welcoming ceremony of sorts where you'll pledge your loyalty to the Volturi. The entire guard will be present as will the family."

"I thought the entire Volturi _was_ a family. What do you mean by the guard and the family?"

Felix chuckled. "I'll tell you all about it after the ceremony, as well as answer all of your other questions then. Aro assigned me as your mentor since your shield won't do anything against me, and, therefore, can't annoy me." He winked at me, and I actually smiled at him.

I kind of liked Felix. He came off as hard and cold at first, but now he was actually pleasant to be around.

On the way to the throne room, Felix explained how the ceremony would be executed and what was expected of me. I was to stand by the door until Aro called me forward. Standing in front of the brothers, I was supposed to kneel with my head bowed down and pledge my loyalty to them. After that, Felix would, as my mentor, robe me in my own cloak.

Halfway there, Felix stopped by a door and gestured for me to go inside. It turned out to be a huge closet. "This is the guard's collective wardrobe. I'm sure you'll find something fitting in here."

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Have you looked at yourself?"

I looked down and saw that my shirt was torn in several places and blood colored the white fabric red. My jeans were dirty after having crawled on the floor downstairs, and there was a hole at the knee. I had not noticed that I looked so ragged. But then again, I had not seen myself at all since my change.

On the wall opposite of the door, there was a mirror reaching from floor to ceiling. "I'll leave you to change. When you're done, just go through those doors." He pointed down the corridor towards the doors I remembered led to the throne room. I nodded and walked up to the mirror. I gasped when I saw my reflection. The woman in the mirror was indescribably beautiful, even if she looked slightly disheveled. Her full dark hair, messy after tossing around during the transformation, fell in waves down her back and framed her pale face. Even standing still, her body looked very graceful and strong. The eyes were a bright crimson red, just like everyone else's eyes, so they didn't scare me that much.

I was glad that I could still see myself in my new features. The old me was still in there, but the features that made me unique and beautiful had been enhanced and were more prominent than before. I could still see how my upper lip was slightly fuller than my lower, and when I looked at my hands, I saw how my right middle finger was slightly crooked after I'd broken it in fifth grade. Looking at my hand, I noticed my unusually long nails. They would always be this long now since no nail clipper would be able to cut them. I sighed. I might as well get used to it.

Forcing my attention away from my reflection, I studied the rows of clothes hanging on racks; modern, designer clothes in various dark colors. No bright pastel colors here.

The clothes were organized by size, so I looked up mine and tried on a pair of jeans. I noticed that I had actually gone down a size. I had always been slim, but with my new athletic body, all of my muscles had tightened up and the jeans didn't fit the same way they used to. I shrugged and walked to the rack next to the one I was at.

I was just about to reach out for another pair of jeans when Felix's words echoed in my head. _'It's a welcoming ceremony of sorts.'_ I didn't think jeans would fit the occasion, so I withdrew my hand and searched for something else.

I found a pair of black stockings, and after I changed my underwear, I pulled them on. The wardrobe was so big, and I had never had any fashion sense that you could brag about, so I had a very hard time deciding on what to wear. Eventually, I found a dark brown halter dress that reached to my knees. It was made out of pure silk and the feeling of it gliding over my skin was incredible; so soft.

Another problem was shoes. Alice had always said that my legs looked incredible in heels, but because of my balance problems, I had an aversion to them. With my new balance, I wanted to try out a pair, so instead of choosing the flats that complemented the dress, I grabbed the high-heeled version of the same shoe and put them on. I absolutely loved that I could walk in them immediately without wobbling.

I finished it up by pulling a brush through my hair to get the tangles out. All of it had barely taken five minutes. I felt renewed and fresh after the change, and I admired my reflection for a second before I walked out of the wardrobe.

Without hesitating, I walked through the doors to the throne room and stopped once I was inside. It was obviously day outside for the room was much more alight than the last time I had been here. The light was streaming in through the skylight on the cathedral-high ceiling.

Every vampire of the Volturi stood in a half-moon formation up by the thrones. The brothers, dressed in black cloaks, were in the middle while the rest winged out next to them. Two fair-haired females stood behind the brothers, also in black cloaks.

I saw how the color of the cloaks got gradually lighter the farther out in the formation the vampire stood. Renata was the exception, though. Her cloak was dark gray, definitely not the darkest, but she stood right behind Aro like his shadow.

On both sides of the brothers were the darkest cloaks, almost black, and it was Jane and another boy that wore them. The boy looked so alike to Jane that he could have been her twin. His hair was slightly darker, and he was a bit taller but just as angelic looking as she.

Next to Jane was a broad-shouldered male with black wavy hair that reached his shoulders. Like Felix, he had an olive complexion. He had an aura of confidence around him. A female with light brown hair stood next to the boy on the other side. She had an hourglass figure and was only an inch shorter than me.

Next in the formation was Felix - his cloak was the same color as Renata's so I guessed they had the same rank - and next to him stood another male that had the same build. He was all muscles, black hair, and dark skin. He was the first vampire I'd ever seen that wasn't pale.

His equal in rank was a small female; she was shorter than me but taller than Jane. She had incredibly pale skin, paler than any vampire I'd ever seen, and red hair. It was not the orange flame like Victoria had; it was just one shade too dark to be called strawberry blonde.

And then the last ones, on the ends of the wings, were Heidi and another male, their cloaks simple grays. The male had dark brown hair and very square features. He was leaning more toward a lean build. Had he not been a vampire, I was sure he would have been one of those guys that looked stretched because they were so tall but still skinny like hell, but his vampirism had filled him out nicely.

Aro regained my attention by raising his hands. "Friends and family! We have gathered this day to welcome a new member to our collective! She's here to pledge her loyalty to me, my brothers and all of you! No matter where her life takes her, she'll always be a part of us for now and forever!" He reached his hand forward as if to offer it to me even if I was several feet away from him. "Isabella! Come forward!"

I did as he demanded, my heels clicking on the marble floor, and knelt down on one knee right in front of the brothers and looked down at the floor. Aro put his hand on my head as if to bless me. I tensed slightly but tried to relax. My instincts did not like having his hand so close to my head since he could easily decide to rip it off. Not a pleasant feeling. Aro certainly felt me tense up but he ignored it. "Isabella, do you promise to be forever loyal to the Volturi?" he asked.

"I do."

"And will you, Isabella, uphold our laws and values by punishing those that deserve it?" Caius asked and also put his hand on my head.

"I will."

"Do you promise to protect what we all hold dear inside of these walls?" Marcus joined his brothers.

"I do."

The brothers started to say something in what sounded like Greek, but I wasn't sure. When they finished, all of the vampires joined in on the last word by saying it in different languages. I recognized them saying the word 'yes' in Italian, German, and English. I wondered what they were saying yes to. I did not speak a word Greek so I had absolutely no idea.

"Felix," Aro said. Once he and his brothers took their hands away from my head, my entire body relaxed fully. I was still kneeling as Felix walked up behind me and put a cloak in an ashy-gray color over my shoulders and then walked back to his original position. "Rise," Aro ordered me and I did. He fastened the buckle in the front before reaching into a pocket in his pants and presented a chain necklace. On the end of the chain, a family crest dangled in the shape of a V, and Aro put it gently around my neck. Then he put his hands on my shoulders and smiled widely. "Welcome to the Volturi Coven, Isabella."

***~IV~***

"All right, hit me with your first question," Felix said as he sat down on the bed in my new chamber. Why I had a bed, I did not know since I would never sleep again, but I did sit down opposite of him.

I thought about what I wanted to know first. "Why are everyone's cloaks in different shades?"

"The colors separate the family, the brothers and their wives, from the rest of us, and they also tell you what rank you have in the guard. For example, Jane and Alec are the highest rank in the guard, which is why their cloaks are so dark while, Heidi and Afton, with their gray cloaks, are the lowest in rank."

I studied my own cloak. "What exactly determines what rank you get?" My cloak was ashy gray, darker then Heidi's but lighter than Felix's. I had the same color as the dark skinned, muscle-man and the red-haired female.

"Mostly your gifts and what you can add to the guard. You got the same color as Santiago and Corin because it's not yet determined how powerful you are." Felix leaned back against my headboard and made himself comfortable.

"What do you mean by powerful?"

"You are obviously a very powerful shield since your gifts were already immensely developed while you were human."

"But what exactly is a shield?"

"A shield is a type gift that is purely defensive. They protect a certain aspect of the bearer. Renata is one, as well."

That got my attention. What was it that I had in common with the dark haired, nervous woman that acted like Aro's shadow? "Really? How does her gift work?"

"Renata is Aro's personal bodyguard. She can project a sort of force field around herself and the ones she protects. If you walk inside the force field, you'll change direction and feel confused about why you wanted to approach Aro in the first place."

"So what you're saying is that she repels physical attacks?"

"Exactly."

"How does that work, really?"

"It's all in the head, a mental thing. It doesn't actually affect your body."

"And I will be able to do the same thing in the future?" I hoped not. I was afraid that I would become as nervous as Renata, who obviously relied a bit too much on her gift and its effectiveness.

"Not exactly the same. We already know that you're a shield, but your shield seems to protect more mentally then physically, which gets us back to the part of how powerful you are. I've been part of the Volturi for centuries, and I've never seen anyone not be affected by our gifts. I could not believe what I was seeing when you stood there in the throne room, all fragile and human, and it didn't matter what we threw at you, you still stood upright." His features were full of wonder.

"What exactly _was it_ that you threw at me? What kind of gifts am I surrounded by and who possesses them?" I narrowed my eyes. I didn't like the sound of someone attacking me without my knowledge. It made me feel so vulnerable.

Felix got off my bed and walked up to my closet. "Thank you for reminding me. I almost forgot about this." He came back with a beautiful leather-bound photo-album in his hand. I looked questioningly at it. "We use this whenever we get a new member in our coven and they need to learn the history of it." I liked how he said _our coven_. It made me feel like I actually belonged. "We haven't used it since the middle of the 18th century."

He flipped the cover, and I saw a drawn portrait of Aro, Marcus, and Caius.

"Well, first we have Aro; he's a tactile telepath. With only one touch, he can read every thought you have ever had. Marcus can see relationships, what kind of bond there is between two people and how strong it is. Caius is the only one of our leaders that don't have a formidable gift but we respect him just as much anyway." Felix flipped the page and there was a portrait of three women. The two fair-haired women I'd seen stand behind the brothers at the ceremony, and a black-haired vampire I did not recognize. "These are the wives. Sulpicia is Aro's mate, and Athenodora is Caius mate." He pointed to the fair-haired women. He moved on to point at the dark-haired one. "That's Didyme. She was Aro's sister and Marcus's mate." A hint of sadness seeped into his voice.

"Was?" I was afraid to ask.

"She died in a battle a long time ago. It nearly crushed Aro but totally destroyed Marcus. Only his loyalty to this coven keeps him going now. I can only visualize what the pain of losing one's mate is like."

I swallowed and tried to not think about _him._ I didn't know if he was my mate, probably not since he could leave so easily. But at least, he was alive, and that knowledge eased the pain of being left behind.

Felix reclaimed my attention by flipping another page. This one was of Jane and the boy that looked like her brother.

"Jane creates an illusion of pain and Alec cuts off all of your senses. They are just like any other twins, the complete opposite of each other."

"So they're really twins?"

"Yeah, they were like you when they were human. Their gifts were very prominent even then, and Aro found out about them when they were still toddlers. He waited until he thought they were old enough and then changed them. They've been loyal to him ever since."

I nodded. The next one was an image of the female with light brown hair and an hourglass figure. The man next to her was the man that Felix had referred to as Afton, the 'skinny' one.

"Chelsea and Afton; they're mates. Chelsea; she manipulates relationships. Except the one between mates. That one is too powerful for her."

"What do you mean by manipulate?" The whole thing sounded very suspicious to me.

Felix laughed at my expression. "Don't worry. She never misuses her gift. She only helps out to keep the guard tight and synchronized."

I looked at Afton. "What does Afton do?"

Felix frowned. "Afton has mental invisibility. His talent is very weak and anyone can see through it if they concentrate hard enough."

"So why is he part of the guard?"

"Because of Chelsea. He's her mate, and as long as he stays here, so does she." He continued with an image of the man with black wavy hair. "Demetri; he's a very powerful tracker. He kind of gets a sense of one's mind and can find you anywhere in the world, no matter how far away you are." The next one was of Renata and the one after that was of Felix. He was about to flip the page when I stopped him. Where the book was sewn together, there was a jagged piece of paper as if there had been another page there before.

"Which one used to be there?" I asked.

"That would be Eleazer." The name was familiar to me, but I couldn't put my finger from where I'd heard it before. He was a vampire so it was obviously the Cullens that had told me about him. Then it hit me.

"You mean as in Eleazer from the Denali clan!?" I exclaimed.

Felix frowned and looked at me. "Yeah, do you know him?" He looked just as confused as I felt.

"Not really, but the coven I _do_ know did. Their families were so close that they called each other cousins."

Felix laid the album aside and crossed his arms over his chest. "You know, you never said exactly how you found out about us. Aro, Caius, and Marcus obviously know but they don't tell us stuff like that. From what you just said, I'm guessing that the coven you hung out with are so-called ' _vegetarians'_?" He made quotation marks with his fingers and wrinkled his nose as he thought about their lifestyle.

"Yeah, they are. It was the Cullens."

Felix sat up straighter. "You mean Carlisle Cullen's coven?" I couldn't help but snort at how that sounded; Carlisle Cullen's coven. Try to say that fast five times without laughing.

"Yeah, that would be the one and only."

"No wonder you knew about us, then. Carlisle is one of Aro's closest acquaintances."

"So I heard." I glanced back down at the torn page. "Why did he leave?"

Felix sighed. "He found his mate and she was not interested in joining us. They tried to make it work, but it was hard on both of them. Eventually, Eleazar tired of our lifestyle and left with her."

"Just like that?"

"Aro wasn't happy to see him go, but it wasn't like he could do anything to stop them." Felix shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. He was about to flip a page again and skip his own portrait, but I stopped him.

"No, you were the next one." I had placed my hand over the page so he couldn't turn to the next page. "Tell me something about you."

"Not much to tell, really. I've been with the Volturi ever since I was changed. I don't remember my human life at all anymore. I don't have any special gifts except that I'm very strong, even stronger than regular vampires. Just like Santiago."

"He doesn't have any gifts either?"

"No. And that takes us to the next one." He reached for the album again and pointed at the next image, which was of the red haired woman that Felix called Corin. "This is Corin. Her gift is addictive contentment."

"Why is it addictive?"

"If she uses it too much on one person and then just stops, that person will experience something similar to withdrawal-symptoms. She focuses the most on the wives so that they won't feel imprisoned by their situation and stays in the castle."

"Situation?"

"Since Didyme died, the wives are not allowed outside their tower unless there is an extreme emergency. They're incredibly protected because neither Aro nor Caius wants to experience the pain that Marcus is going through."

"But isn't that wrong? To keep them locked in like that?"

"It's for their own safety, Isabella. If the wives were endangered, then Aro and Caius wouldn't be able to focus. They would become like Marcus, passive, and with leaders like that, everything would fall apart."

"I guess you're right." Deep inside, it still did not feel right.

"I know I'm right." He turned another page. "The last one is Heidi. Her gift is physical attraction. All vampires are attractive to their prey, but Heidi can project that in a way that once a human, male or female, lays eyes on her, they can't turn her down." He lifted his eyes from the album and looked at me. "Her gift is once again inside the mind, though, so I bet she didn't make much of an impression on you." He winked and I smiled.

I thought back on what I thought of Heidi when I saw her for the first time. Sure I thought she was beautiful, but not more so than any other vampire, so I guess he was right.

Felix pointed to the empty page that was after Heidi's portrait. "This is where your portrait will be."

"My portrait?"

"Well, of course. You're one of us now, and that means that you go into the album."

"You've got no idea how good that feels," I murmured, but Felix heard it as if I'd said it directly to him.

"How what feels?"

"How it feels to belong. During my entire human life, I felt misplaced and that I never belonged. I've only felt that way once before, but it was ripped away from me by someone I trusted." They were almost the same words I'd said to the brothers three days ago, only slightly more detailed.

"Who?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I turned away from Felix's analyzing gaze and looked outside the window, where the sun was going down.

"You should. Things like that can eat you up from the inside."

I thought about his words for a long time, the silence stretching on and the sunset turning into night. Still, Felix stayed. Eventually, I opened my mouth again. "Why exactly do you care?"

"I don't know," he said truthfully. "I guess I've come to care for you even though we've only known each other for a very short period of time."

His honesty made me want to trust him, but it was too early for any of that. "Not tonight, okay? I'll tell you eventually."

"Fine, if you're sure."

I nodded.

Felix stayed for the duration of the night and talked about all kinds of things that had to do with our coven, and he answered all of my questions as best as he could. He told me about what I would learn and that my training would start the next day.

They would mainly focus on finding the trigger for my shield so that they would be able to determine how powerful I was and what other powers I could protect myself from. Then there was, of course, combat training. As part of the guard, it was a given that I'd know how to fight. You'd never know when your gift wouldn't work - I was living proof of that - and then it was very important that you knew how to fight hand-to-hand.

I would learn about every coven in the world: how many they were, what gifts they contained, where they lived, etc, and keep track of their criminal history. That was one of the most important things. Once I really got a hang on my shield and was able to control my blood lust, it wouldn't surprise Felix if Aro sent me out on missions on his behalf together with Jane, Alec, Demetri and himself.

Aside from those things, I would also learn multiple languages since it was important that you could communicate with the entire vampire community, especially if you were part of the Volturi.

Well, one thing was for sure. My existence would not grow boring for a very long time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo!**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue!**

**Chapter was beta'd by Project Team Beta.**

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 3**

I closed my eyes tightly and tried to feel the power that Renata was talking about – she was the only other shield in the guard, so that was why she was training me – but I just couldn't feel it. I felt mentally drained, and I wanted nothing more than to just rest for a bit. Renata, however – who wasn't as anxious around me anymore now that I'd pledged my loyalty to her Masters, as well – pushed me harder and told me that I had to find the trigger for my shield. She was absolutely certain that I _was_ one since she'd asked every gifted vampire of the guard to use their gifts on me, and they had discovered that my gift was only effective toward gifts that took place in the mind. To sum it up: I was a mental shield.

At first, Caius had voiced his concerns about the fact that they wouldn't be able to guarantee my loyalty since Chelsea could not tie me to them, but he calmed down when Marcus said that he could still see my relationship ties, and for the moment, I was fully committed to them.

Aro – who was observing my first training session with all the others – had a permanent smile etched on his face. He had told us that he'd searched the world for a gift like mine for centuries, and he certainly never thought that a gift like that would willingly walk into his embrace if he only bided his time.

The rest of the guard wasn't so happy, though. They weren't used to having their gifts become useless, especially not against a newborn that was only a little over a day old, so most of them stood against the wall, scowling at me – Jane most of all.

"Just do as I say, Isabella!" Renata yelled at me.

"I can't!" I hissed through clenched teeth. We'd been at it for hours, and I was slowly getting angrier. Not so much at Renata, but at myself. The family trusted me to learn to control my power, and I was failing big time.

"You won't _ever_ be able to perform your duty as a Volturi guard if you crumble in front of every obstacle that comes your way! You'd be the disgrace of the Volturi coven! You would embarrass our Masters! How would you be able to live with that knowledge, Isabella?" Renata still screamed at me, and my breathing increased in speed.

"Don't _push_ me, Renata! I'm warning you. I'm doing the best I can!" I growled when she took a step closer to me, not heeding my warning.

"No! You're not! You're weak!"

That did it for me. I was livid and my vision was tinted red as I zeroed in on my target. Renata was going down for saying that. I was _not_ weak! Not anymore. I used to be when I was human, but now I was who I was supposed to be – who I'd always been deep inside. I bared my teeth before a vicious roar tore from my lungs, and I charged at Renata.

I should have known that I wouldn't have a chance. Sure, Renata relied on her shield, but of course she'd had combat training before she'd gotten the hang of it, and I was no match for her. I was as inexperienced as a child, and it did not take long before I was on my back with Renata's hands around my throat. I could easily break free since I was stronger than her with my newborn strength, but before I could try again, Santiago – the vampire that was almost as strong as Felix – positioned himself behind Renata to back her up if I chose to be difficult. I slowly backed away from them until I was at the opposite side of the room.

My vision was still tinted slightly red, and it wasn't until that moment that I felt a buzzing around me as if the air was vibrating. The feeling was powerful, the energy that had drained from me coming back instantly. I knew that it was my shield that had come to life, and I wondered what had triggered it.

"I feel it," I breathed out, and if the room had not been filled with vampires, nobody but me would have heard it.

"What does it feel like?" Renata whispered in the same volume as me – she didn't want to disturb my new concentration.

"Like a bubble of buzzing air around me." As my anger dissipated, my shield got heavier until it snapped back fully to protect only my mind. "Wow." I swallowed down the venom that had filled my mouth during my fight with Renata and locked my eyes with her on the other side of the room. She was smiling and gave me a nod.

"That's enough for today," she said quietly and walked over to Aro to take her original position. I saw how she transformed to the submissive bodyguard she was whenever she was around Aro right in front of me.

With a small gesture of his hand, Aro, Caius, Marcus, the wives, and Renata left the room. I stood frozen in my place. Was he unhappy with my progress? Did he think I was too slow? Would he kick me out or kill me?

Even though I was deep in thought, I still felt when Felix came up behind me. He put a hand on my shoulder and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Are you too tired, or are you up for some real training?" His voice was full of mischievousness, and I laughed at the boy-like quality his personality had transformed into whenever he was close to me. I had asked him about why they all seemed to put up different facades whenever an outsider came inside the castle walls, and he told me that it was necessary, so that you would get the respect that you deserved. Everyone in the guard were actually very tightly knitted together and acted toward each other as if they were all brothers and sisters.

Everyone except Jane – she was quite arrogant since she was the highest ranked, and the only ones she considered had the right to address her directly were the family and Alec. According to her, she was way above the average guard. The others mostly ignored her and let her be.

"I'm not too tired," I answered Felix.

"Good." He smiled. "I was hoping that you would train combat skills with me, Santiago and, Demetri."

I could understand why Santiago and Felix would train me in combat – they were probably the guards' best fighters – but I didn't understand why Demetri would join us. "Why Demetri?"

"He's like my brother, and he wanted to join us. He was my mentor when _I_ was a newborn."

"Really? He's been here longer than you?"

"Much longer. He was created by a different coven around 1000 AD, but he didn't stay with them too long. Aside from Chelsea, he's the one that's been with the guard the longest. He could teach you things I never could." I nodded in awe. I found myself having a new sort of respect for the quiet, black-haired vampire that shared such a close friendship with my mentor. Felix smiled even wider. "This is going to be so much fun."

And it really was. I hadn't had that much fun for months, and I laughed loudly as I watched Santiago and Felix play-fight on the floor. Demetri sat beside me and told me fascinating things about his life. His creator, Amun, was the leader of a coven that lived in Egypt consisting of himself and his mate, Kebi, and had not expanded as far as the Volturi was aware. He also told me hilarious memories of Felix as a newborn and of pranks they still pulled on each other to this day. For example, since Carlisle had introduced his lifestyle to the Volturi, Demetri had succeeded in tricking Felix into drinking animal blood on several occasions.

"That was not funny, Dem! Even if I have tasted human food and know that it is the most disgusting thing there is, animal blood is a close second," Felix said when he, for the second time, overpowered Santiago and had him on his back. He then looked at me. "Seriously, you should be grateful that those _vegetarians_ never got to you. You're much better off with us."

I tried to hide my discomfort at the subject change, but I did not succeed. "You okay, young one?" Demetri asked me. That annoying stinging – the one that told me I was going to cry – started in my eyes. My chest constricted, and had I still been dependent on oxygen, I would have had a hard time breathing. I had not _really_ thought about those _vegetarians_ since I woke up, and with my new heightened senses, the pain and feeling of abandonment were stronger than ever. It felt as if I was missing half of myself.

I shook my head to answer Demetri. No, I wasn't okay. I was far from it. Felix got up from the floor and sat down on my other side. Santiago – who I did not know that well yet – stayed on the floor and looked at me with concerned eyes.

"I'm sorry." Felix's voice was full of regret. "I keep forgetting." He grabbed my shoulders gently and turned me to him. "It would be easier to remember if you just told me." He referred to the fact that he still didn't know my exact relationship with the Cullens. I looked into his bright red eyes, and I couldn't find anything but concern for me. I also let my eyes wander from his to Demetri's to Santiago's – they, too, looked only concerned for me.

These guys were part of my coven now, and I was a part of theirs. It was about time I started to trust them, otherwise we would never be able to work together as a team to protect our Masters. Demetri had just told me about his upbringing and his life; now it was my turn.

I inhaled and stared steadily at the wall as I began to speak. "The Cullens were more than just a coven I knew. They were my family." My voice was detached from emotion, but inside I was screaming. "In January, I moved to the town where they lived, and I got very close to one of them. So close that we became romantically involved." The last part wasn't above a whisper, but the three guys with their perfect hearing heard it all, and they looked shocked at my revelation. "We were very happy, and I told him all the time that I wanted him to change me so that we could be together forever. He told me every day that he loved me, and I believed him." My voice broke several times. This was hard to relive, but I couldn't stop now. "But on my birthday, when we were celebrating with his family, I accidentally cut my finger. One of his brothers had not practiced their lifestyle for as long as the others, and when he smelled my blood, he acted on instinct and tried to attack me. Not a week after that, _he_ left me, saying that he didn't want me anymore and that I wasn't good enough for him." I was full on sobbing at this point, and I curled in on myself, winding my arms around my legs to make myself as small as possible.

I registered that Felix, Santiago, and Demetri were talking to each other, but I did not listen to the words. I was grieving the loss of a love I thought I'd had, but it had only turned out to be a big fat lie. All of his words, his praise, and compliments had been lies. He didn't want me, and he definitely did not love me. He probably never did. I was only something he could occupy his endless days with. A toy that got tossed away like yesterday's newspaper when it became old.

"He lied," Santiago's dark and deep voice said lowly from the floor. I looked up at him and frowned. Did he have to rub it in? I already knew that he lied. He'd lied to me from day one. Santiago must have understood what I was thinking, for he continued. "He lied about not wanting you anymore."

What did he mean by that? I looked at Felix and then at Demetri. Both of them looked hesitant as if they weren't sure they should be telling me this. "What is it? What is it that I don't know?" Neither Felix nor Demetri said anything, so I turned back to Santiago. "Tell me," I pleaded. I had to know what he meant by his statement.

Santiago looked like he regretted saying anything at all, but he did not try to avoid the subject. He sighed. "I don't want to upset you, but that will be inevitable once you hear this."

"I can take it," I said without breaking my eye contact with him.

"From what you told us, this vampire obviously cared a lot about you, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed for as long as he did. And, well, you'll notice eventually that when one of our kind makes a change, they never go back. If this vampire really loved you, I would bet my arm that he still does."

The stinging started again, and I scowled at Santiago. "Why would you tell me something like that? Why do you sit there and lie straight to my face? That's so not cool and very cruel of you." For a moment, I wished my gift had been more like Jane's. I wanted to inflict pain on Santiago for lying to me. I wanted him to feel my pain, and I wanted him to realize how cruel it was to give someone hope for something that would never come true.

Felix knelt down in front of me and hid Santiago from my sight. His red eyes were sad as they looked into mine, and he grabbed one of my hands to squeeze it in his. And to think, I thought Felix was a hard, cold, emotionless guy before I got to know him, and now he was my closest ally in this place. "I'm so sorry, Isabella, but Santiago is telling you the truth. That's the way of the vampire nature, so I'm afraid that your vampire left you out of a reason I can't comprehend." He transferred his hands to my face and cupped it. "And I'm so sorry if this will upset you even further, but I don't think you should be kept in the dark anymore. From the sound of it, I believe that your vampire was more than you originally thought. I believe he might have been your mate."

I closed my eyes and clamped my teeth together hard. It wasn't as if I hadn't thought that myself a few times, but it was painful to have it confirmed. "Why do you believe that?" I had to ask.

"Because I see the same haunted look in your eyes – when you speak of him – as the one I've seen in Marcus's eyes since Didyme died." I saw in my peripheral vision that Demetri was nodding his head, and I wondered if a dead heart could break. My living heart had been shattered already, but I had thought the venom had healed me a bit with the transformation. Apparently I'd been very wrong, because the pain surfaced hard and strong, and I just wanted to curl up on the floor and stay there for the rest of eternity. I had just had it confirmed that _he_ , Edward, had been my mate, and I had already lost him. It wasn't fair!

Everything was supposed to work out and get solved once I went through the transformation. Everything was supposed to be okay – so why did I feel like a pile of broken glass?

Edward had been my mate, and he still left me. He wasn't supposed to be able to do that, or at least I thought he wasn't supposed to be able to do that after I'd seen the way the other Cullens were with their mates. What was so wrong with me that made leaving me so easy, even when we were destined to be together? I didn't understand.

My vampire mind went through one hazy memory after the other. From what I could remember, Edward had always put my safety first. From the very first kiss to the last, he had always restrained himself so that he wouldn't hurt me. He'd told me time and time again that it wasn't safe for me to be with him, and had he not been so selfish, he would have left before anything started between us. So what made him so _selfless_ all of a sudden? It didn't make any sense at all. Faster and faster, the memories went through my head: Edward's hesitance in telling me all the details of the vampire world, his constant expectancy of me running away when something became too much for me, his promise in Phoenix that he would stay as long as that made me happy, and lastly, his tortured expression after Jasper had attacked me.

That was the key event, the moment it had all changed, so it must have had something to do with that night. Had it been too much for Edward to deal with when I was put in danger once again, or was it the fact that it was his own brother that put me in that danger? And if so, what made him think that he had the right to decide what was right and wrong for me? I'd told him that I didn't blame Jasper – it wasn't his fault that I was a klutz and cut myself – and still he thought that it was best for me if he removed himself from my life. That was just a big pile of bullshit! What if he, for once, had come to me and talked about it? If he would have treated me like the equal I wanted to be and not a child that could not make her own decisions, would things have looked different today? Would I still be in Forks with my family, together with Edward and pathetically human, or would it not have changed a thing?

My mood changed swiftly. One moment I was sad and heartbroken, and the next I was furious. I was furious at Edward for causing me such pain because, by causing me pain, he also caused me to hurt Charlie and Renée.

So fast I did not even register my own movement, I picked up the closet thing I could get my hand on – it turned out to be a shoe – and threw it as hard as I could across the room. It created a hole in the wall, and I felt slightly better looking at it.

Everything I'd done since he'd left was because of him, and I was sick and tired of feeling like he still controlled every aspect of my life. He had no right to decide for me! I could make my own decisions that worked out just fine; that I was a part of the Volturi was proof of that. He might be my mate, but that did not mean that he could boss me around. Not anymore. In that moment, I really, really _hated_ Edward Cullen.

***~IV~***

"Do it," I hissed out.

"I hope for Felix's sake that you got it this time," Renata said and turned to Jane and gave her a nod. Jane smiled sadistically and stared at Felix. He was tense, but when nothing happened, he exhaled and relaxed. "Nothing," he said and smiled.

It was only Renata, Jane, Felix, and I in the combat chamber because the rest of the guard and the family had tired of watching my training after a few days. I was glad to say that I had no trouble whatsoever feeling my shield now, so the next step was to project it so that I could protect others besides myself. Felix thought I was doing great since I could already project my shield in a ten-foot radius around me, but Renata pushed me further with every session. She said that she wanted to see my potential.

In that first training session, I found out that anger was my trigger, so Renata came up with different ways to make me angry every time. She mocked me, looked down on me, and reminded me of my past. The last one was the most effective. Whenever I thought about Edward, hate pulsed through me in waves, and I could easily project my shield.

I also got angry when Felix was the guinea pig. I hated to see him crumble on the floor under Jane's stare, but Renata said that I needed some serious motivation for it all to work. I'd asked her why Alec couldn't help instead, but it turned out that Alec was actually more valuable around the family – something Jane did not know – since he could incapacitate big groups of people instead of just one like Jane did. And he never participated in these kinds of things if the family wasn't present.

"All right, Felix, move another five feet to your left, and we'll go at it again." I was breathing hard out of exertion, unsure if I'd be able to do it again. I wanted to tell Renata that, but I knew that she wouldn't listen, so I took a deep breath and pushed my shield even further. It took all of my concentration, but eventually I felt Felix inside with me. However, when Jane's gift started to push on the outside, it snapped back from him, and he gasped and fell to the floor. I quickly pushed it around him again until he stopped screaming and Renata made Jane stop.

I could see that Jane hated to be commanded by a guard that was lower than she was, but Aro had ordered her to help me, so she had no choice.

"Isabella, what happened? You had it at first. I saw it." I sat down on the floor and refused to look at Renata, so she walked up to me and stood right in front of me. I still didn't look at her – even if I knew that I was acting like a child. "That's enough with the attitude, Isabella! What happened? I need to know these things. It's the only way for me to keep training you."

I didn't want to tell her that – even if my hate for a certain bronze-haired vampire helped me to project - it took its toll on me that I had to think of him in that way every day. Despite everything, he was my mate, which automatically made him a part of me.

Felix walked up to us, as well, and looked at me. He must have seen that haunted look he was talking about in my eyes, for he told Renata and Jane that they should go and that we were done for the day. Renata protested and said that, as my trainer, she decided when it was enough, but Felix did not back down and said that he would force her out of the room if he had to. She left, unwillingly, but of her own accord after that.

"I don't know the feeling of losing your mate," Felix started when he sat down opposite of me, "But I absolutely detest seeing you like this. Please, Isabella, try to stay positive. At least your mate is alive." I knew he didn't mean to sound uncaring, but it just became too much for me, so I got up without another word and left the chamber to hide out in my own room for a few hours. I needed to be alone.

I curled up on my windowsill for the rest of the day and looked out over the city of Volterra. At one point, the sun came out and reflected on my skin. Luckily, my room, just like all the other private rooms in the castle, overlooked the forest on the other side of the city, so there wasn't any risk of a human noticing a young girl sitting in a window, sparkling. That would be one hell of a mess to clean up.

I did not move from my spot until the night had fallen, and I decided to take a walk inside the castle. I'd been here for about five days now, and I still had not explored my surroundings.

Besides, I needed something to occupy my thoughts.

For hours, I wandered aimlessly around the castle, greeting the vampires I met, but I did not stop to talk to them.

When I walked up a staircase that was behind a door I'd never seen before, I heard screams and gurgling. The heavy scent of human blood told me that I was about to disturb someone's nightly meal. The blood smelled amazing, but the prey was not mine, so I started to back down. When I was almost at the bottom, a high girly voice called to me. "Don't go. Lord knows we could use some fresh company." I did not recognize the voice, but I did recognize the scents. I had accidentally entered the wives' tower, and Corin was with them. I slowly climbed the stairs again and joined the women. There were two male bodies – drained to the last drop – on the floor by their feet.

"You're Isabella," one of the wives said. It wasn't a question, more like a statement, so I just nodded. I had seen them several times, but never had I given them enough thought to separate the one from the other, so I didn't know who Sulpicia was and who Athenodora was.

"I'm Sulpicia, and this is my sister Athenodora, but I guess you already knew that," the one that invited me up there said.

Sulpicia was tall, slender, and in her early twenties. Her fair hair reached all the way down to her hips, and she wore it in a thick braid. Athenodora was also tall, but she had more curves than Sulpicia. Her hair reached to just below her shoulder blades in small locks, and it contained strands of a darker color. Had her hair been straight, it would probably have reached down to her waist. She was also in her twenties, but still older than Sulpicia. Both of their facial features reminded me of the Greek goddesses Hera and Aphrodite; so smooth and beautiful.

Once again, I just nodded. I was rendered speechless out of sheer shock. I could not believe that the wives – AKA; my queens – had invited me – a simple guard – up into their tower after I so rudely interrupted their meal.

Sulpicia, who seemed to be the one who talked, just like her husband, tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Are you a mute?"

"No," I answered softly.

Sulpicia gestured for me to sit down next to Corin – who I had not noticed there until now – and looked out through the window into the night. "What brings you to our tower?" she asked without taking her eyes off the starlit sky.

"I apologize. I didn't mean to interrupt you. I was simply exploring the castle since I'm still very new to the guard." I kept my eyes on Sulpicia, even though I could feel Athenodora's eyes on me. It felt as if Sulpicia was the leader out of these two, so I automatically waited for her to tell me when I could talk to Athenodora.

The atmosphere inside the tower was calm and serene. No movements, were rushed and the only light was provided by the stars in the sky. I knew that the mood was thanks to Corin's gift, even if it didn't affect me; still, I had never felt so at ease in my entire life. It was an absolutely amazing feeling, almost dreamlike. "No need to apologize, my dear," Sulpicia said with her feather-light voice. It caressed me all over like a mother's loving touch, and I found myself closing my eyes just so that I could take it all in.

"You've experienced loss. Terrible loss, and that was why you wandered around the castle," Athenodora spoke up and pulled me out of my trance-like state. Her voice was more high-pitched, like a little girl's, but still very pleasant to listen to.

I bent my head down and studied the floor. I had hoped that I wouldn't have to speak about that again after the day I had, but I couldn't deny my queens anything if they wanted to know. It wasn't in my nature as their guard.

"You wear the same expression as our brother-in-law wears every day. Ever since our sister was taken from us," Athenodora continued. "You've also lost a mate, haven't you?"

Sulpicia finally turned slowly away from the window and looked at Athenodora. "Don't be silly, Dora. She's not a week old. How could she have lost a mate?"

"I didn't know he was my mate until I was changed," I whispered, wishing I'd kept my mouth shut.

"What do you mean, young one?"

I looked up from the floor and into Sulpicia's eyes. "I met my mate when I was human, but he left me, and that's why I came here."

"You wish for us to help you find him?" Sulpicia asked.

"No, never," I vowed. I didn't want them to believe I was here for that reason. I did not want to find Edward. When he removed himself from my life, I lost the will to stay together with him. "I came here because he robbed me of my chance to fulfill my destiny, which is to be a vampire. I was born solely to become one of you," I told them.

They nodded. "You're very special," Sulpicia said. "Even if Chelsea can't tie you to us, you still stay here willingly. That's not something I could say about the majority of the guard."

I frowned. "What do you mean?" I had always thought that Chelsea only used her power to help the guard work together. A coven this big needed some help on that front or we would start to fight amongst ourselves.

A small smile stretched across Sulpicia's face. "Do you really believe that everyone would stay here if they had a choice? Eleazer left us to live with his mate, and from what I've heard, he's as happy as ever, even if he survives on the blood of animals. Try to see it this way: if all of the guards found their mates and my husband refused to let all of them stay with the guard, do you think they would stay or go with their mates?"

It took a few seconds for that to sink in. Did that mean that no one inside of these walls, except me and the family, stayed here willingly? What would then happen to the Volturi if Chelsea left us? It would be devastating. And it scared me.

"But that's just wrong." I put my hand over my mouth as soon as I'd uttered the words. I had absolutely no right to say stuff like that to the wives. They could easily tell Aro or Caius, and I'd be dead. Who was I to question their way of keeping their coven intact? No one! But neither Sulpicia nor Athenodora got mad. It was as if Corin's gift prevented them from feeling anything but contentment.

"It is wrong, just like it's wrong to keep us locked inside this tower, but all of that is our husbands' responsibilities, and we don't want to burden them with our moaning, because when it comes down to it, it's all for our safety," Athenodora said with certainty.

After that, we all stayed quiet. The wives watched as the nightsky's color transformed from black to blue and purple. Corin and I stayed on the floor, observing them.

When the sky outside had turned orange, I quietly stood up and excused myself. The three women did not even turn around to acknowledge my leave.

On my way back to my chamber, I walked past the wardrobe and decided it was time for a change of clothes. For the last five days, I'd been wearing yoga pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. It had not been necessary for me to dress fancier because Aro did not want me in the throne room until I'd had more training.

Inside the wardrobe, I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed. My eyes were pitch black, but I just didn't understand why. During these past five days, I'd fed three times already. The thirst was a constant thing, and it did not work like human hunger where you just felt a little hunger at first and it grew with every minute. No, you always felt that burn in your throat, so your only indication of when you needed to feed was when the blood smelled sweeter than ever and the color of your eyes started to darken.

Every time Felix took me to the basement, where all my prey was brought, I dreaded it. Killing had not become any easier. It was easy in the moment when I was too thirsty to care, but after, when I could see the features of the drained human in my arms and I started to think about the fact that I'd killed yet another human for my survival only, that was when the guilt consumed me. Still, I did not want to adopt the Cullens' lifestyle. Even if I'd only been a vampire for about a week, the thought of abstaining from human blood felt abnormal to me. It wasn't natural for vampires to deny themselves what they needed to stay strong.

I took one last look at myself in the mirror before I pulled out my new cell phone and dialed Heidi's number. Aro had allowed me to call her whenever I needed to feed. He said that it was absolutely normal for a newborn to feed more than usual as they adapted to this new life, but I would have to be careful so that I didn't get used to this service. I was only allowed to do it during my first year. After that, I would have to settle by feeding just like the others.

"Yes?" Heidi answered. She already knew that it was me.

"Are you out?"

"Yes, what do you want this time? Boy or girl? Young or middle-aged?" A rule I'd learned while I was here was that we never _ever_ fed on children. If the human was underneath the age of thirteen, it was forbidden. Sadly, it did not help that children's blood smelled so much more appetizing. It had something to do with the fact that their blood was so much cleaner than adults'.

"Man in his early thirties," I told her. Out of all the humans I'd drunk, that had been the most pleasurable. I couldn't explain why, though.

"Coming right up," Heidi said with a flirty voice. Maybe one was close by. My mouth filled with venom at the thought. "Shall I bring him to your room?"

I thought about it. I'd only ever fed down in the basement, mostly because I was a messy eater, and it would be very time-consuming having to wash the blood off the carpets after every meal, but I was dying for something new. Whenever a human was brought down in the basement, fear consumed them and adrenaline spiked their blood. Would the blood taste differently in another environment? Well, it couldn't hurt to try. Worst case scenario would be that I would have to burn the carpet in my room.

"Yeah, do that," I said and hung up. I looked around the wardrobe and felt that I actually wanted to dress nicely for once. When I fed in the basement, it was too dark for the humans to see anything, but now the last thing this man would see in life would be me, so why not give him a pleasant view.

I did not know what drew me to dress in that particular dress, but I certainly did not regret it when I saw my reflection. I looked sexy in a way I'd never looked before, and I was certain that my meal would love it.

The dress was a tightfitting black number that reached to the middle of my thighs. It had thick off-shoulder straps and a v-shaped neckline. The dress accentuated curves I never knew I had, and I smiled at myself, pleased with how I looked.

But I did not stop there. I chose a pair of black, strappy sandals with a stiletto heel that made my legs look incredible, and I ran my fingers through my hair a couple of times before I was completely happy.

For a fleeting second, I wished that Edward could see me like this, but I quickly shoved that thought away and walked in the direction of my room. This would be fun.

In the corridor outside my chamber, I saw Heidi walk toward me. "It's all set up in there," she said. "Have fun." She winked at me and left, adding an extra sway to her hips. I chuckled at her theatrics and turned the handle.

A man stood in the center of the room and looked around self-consciously. He was obviously not sure why he had followed Heidi there in the first place. He had dark brown hair that he had combed carefully, golden-brown skin, and brown eyes. He was of an athletic build, and he wore clothes that fit him exceptionally well. He was a very attractive man who clearly took good care of himself. This was why I wanted a man in his early thirties. It was just something about that age for men; they started to take care of themselves. Maybe because it was in that age that they had to find a woman that they could build a life with. It wasn't just play anymore when they reached that age. This, however, would only be play for me.

He had not heard me enter, and I cleared my throat for him. I wanted him to be aware of me. He turned his head in my direction, and when he spotted me, he dropped his chin completely. I smiled at that. I wasn't used to being that attractive to the opposite sex. Or maybe it wasn't that he thought I was attractive; maybe it was my young age. I was only eighteen after all. Well, I would soon make him forget about my age.

I did not understand where this sudden sexual urge came from. As a human, I had always shied away from things sexual, blushing at the same time. I wasn't a naturally sexual creature, but now, all of a sudden, I wanted to see what I could make this man do for me, and it was very exciting.

I walked slowly up to him, and I saw him checking me out. He started at my legs and let his eyes wander up. He stopped for a second when he came to my breasts, but continued up to my face where he was locked into my gaze. I was for once glad that my eyes were black. Had they been red, he would have gotten scared, and that was not what I wanted at the moment.

"Hello," I said softly, and his eyes widened just a tiny bit more when he heard my voice. "What's your name?"

"D-Darius," he stammered out before he cleared his throat and tried again. "My name's Darius." He did not have an accent, so either he was really good at English or he was a tourist.

I walked behind his back, still very slowly, and let my hand trace from his shoulder, over his back, and to the other shoulder before I stood completely in front of him. "Pleasure to meet you, Darius. My name is Isabella." I let the words roll off my tongue gently, and I was amazed at how I could make these simple pleasantries sound dirty. I looked up at him through my lashes, and he swallowed thickly.

"T-the p-pleasure's all mine." I smiled at him, showing off all of my teeth, and I felt him shudder lightly under my hands, which I had placed on his chest. I noticed how he didn't touch me, and my smile widened. "You can touch me, you know. I won't bite." _Yet,_ I completed the sentence in my head.

His hands were shaking as he hesitantly placed them on my waist. I could barely feel his touch, and my mind wandered to Edward, wondering how he felt whenever I touched him. Once again, I forced the thought out of my head and focused on what I was doing. My eyes zeroed in on his pulse point, and I had to swallow down venom before I did anything else. My breathing became irregular, mostly for Darius to believe that he affected me just as much as I affected him. I had to keep up the facade after all.

I let my hands glide up his chest and grabbed his shoulders. I pulled him slightly down to me, and he obviously thought that I was going to kiss him, but I tilted my head and traced the tip of my tongue over the shell of his ear. He shivered violently, and I almost moaned when his scent filled my nose. His pulse quickened, and I could see it beating just below his skin on his neck.

I could not wait any longer; his blood had called out to me ever since I stepped inside the room, and I was too thirsty to take this any further, so I pulled him hard against me and attached my mouth to his throat, piercing his skin with my razor-sharp teeth, and drank. Maybe, once I wasn't newborn anymore, I would be able to take pleasure in foreplay as well.

Darius screamed and tried to break free from my steel grip, but it was hopeless. My teeth had severed his carotid artery, and it didn't take long for him to drown in his own blood. His screams were cut off by a gurgle, and he went limp in my arms. His blood flowed out faster than I could drink it, resulting in it staining both his clothes and mine and even the carpet. I was sad to see delicious blood go to waste, but as I said, I was a messy eater.

When he was completely drained, I let go of his body, and it fell to the floor with a loud thud. I looked at it, and for the first time since I became a vampire, I did not feel guilty. Just like the animal provided the human with food, the human provided the vampire with food. It was the natural way of the food chain – only the vampire level was unknown to humans, who thought they were on the top of the chain. It was about time I started to accept it for what it was. I needed human blood to survive and feel sated. How many times had I not heard the Cullens say that animal blood kept them strong but never fully satisfied? I did not want to live like that. If I didn't feel satisfied, that would mean that I would always feel thirsty in a way I didn't already feel, and it would actually make me more dangerous to humans than I already was. If I felt satisfied, I would be able to control my bloodlust and not want to drink every human in close proximity of me.

No, drinking animal blood was a huge abnormality, and I would never want to live that way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo.**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue.**

**Chapter was beta'd by Project Team Beta.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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**CHAPTER 4**

"Felix! I want you, Demetri, Jane, and Alec to check on a situation in America," Aro ordered as soon as Felix and I entered the throne room. I had finally had enough training to qualify to be in there and protect my Masters. But then again, I had been with the Volturi for eight months now so my training was already complete. At least the basic training. When the limit for my shield had been determined—I could project it up to thirty yards away from me—Aro started to wonder if it would be possible for me to lift the shield from my own mind. He had been dying to read my thoughts ever since he realized that I was silent to him.

He had not been the first to wish that, so I had started to work with Demetri to see if someone I would feel less threatened by would be able to get a taste of my mind and track me. We had not succeeded yet, it was a work in progress, but I was positive that one day I would be able to grant my Master's wish and let him into my mind. Demetri had actually been able to sense me for a second the last time we were at it, so at least things were going forward. He thought that it was a self-preservation mechanism and that it would get easier over time as I started to trust everyone in my coven completely. You'd think eight months would be enough for that but apparently not.

We had also discovered that once a vampire was under my shield, no mental gifts could touch them, but their gifts could easily reach outside. Kind of like a one-way window.

"What kind of situation?" Felix asked in a business-like tone. He was in guard mode now.

"Someone is getting reckless in the Washington state area." My head turned quickly to Aro. He knew that was where I was from. What could possibly be going on in Washington? The Cullens had left a long time ago, and as far as I knew there weren't any other vampires in that area. "The killing rate's rising too much for a human to ignore it. They're getting suspicious, and we think that it might be work done by more than one vampire – newborns by the look of it."

I knew that I didn't exactly have anything to do with this mission, but it was close to my old home, so I couldn't stop myself from asking, "Do you have any suspicions of who created them?"

Luckily Aro did not seem offended by my question. "Not yet. That's why I need to send people up there and I don't want to risk anything so I'm sending the most powerful offensive guards I have."

Jane and Alec walked up to us and grabbed each of Aro's hands. "Don't worry, Master. We'll take care of it," Jane vowed before she released Aro's hand and stood next to Felix. Alec did the same.

"I'll get Demetri and we'll be on our way," Felix said and turned around to walk out the doors. I looked longingly after them. I had yet to go on a mission.

Aro must have seen my expression for he stopped the group before they could leave. "And Felix"–the three turned around–"take Isabella with you," he said with a smile.

I looked at him with my mouth agape. Was he serious? Did he just give me permission to join them? Did he think I was ready then?

"Master?" Jane did not look pleased with the fact that I would be coming along.

"She knows the area better than any of you and she's definitely ready. Bring her and teach her our ways." Aro's tone was final. I was to go with them, period.

Jane clamped her teeth together and nodded stiffly. "Of course, Master." Even after eight months of living under the same roof, Jane still disliked me. I had never asked her why, but I didn't actually care either. You couldn't get everyone to like you after all.

Felix, Alec, and Jane turned back around and started to leave, so I quickly bowed to Aro to thank him for this privilege he was granting me. "Thank you, Master!" Then I hurried after the others.

After we'd found Demetri, we ran full speed to the airport in Florence where the Volturi apparently had their private jet. It wasn't until we were up in the air that the whole situation hit me full force. This would be the first time in almost a year that I'd be in such close proximity to my father again. What if I got tempted to check on him? No, I wouldn't do that because I was way too dangerous to be around him now. Who knew what would happen if I met him again?

It was best to stay as far away from Forks as possible.

"Where exactly in Washington are we going?" I asked Felix, who sat opposite to me.

"The activity has been the strongest around Seattle, so we suspect that there is where the vampires have their territory."

"How many do you think they are?" I was worried. It was one thing to use my new combat skills with my friends and fellow guard members but a totally different thing to use them as an actual offensive weapon against criminal vampires.

"From what we've gathered there must be at least ten, maybe twenty of them, and they're all brand new."

"Why would someone create so many newborns and not control them?"

"Maybe there's a territory they want to conquer. Things like this happened a lot about a hundred years ago in the South. Newborn armies were created here and there because of the strength newborns possess."

"But why?" It did not make any sense to me.

"It was a power game. They fought over territories that would allow them to feed covertly every night. Especially in Mexico. Things got way out of hand and eventually we had to step in and stop it all. Sadly the vampires in the South aren't as civilized as the ones in the North, and we frequently have to remind them who's in charge."

"Sounds tiring." For a second, Felix had actually looked really bushed as if he longed for sleep, so I smiled at him to cheer him up a bit.

He laughed at me. "Yeah well, to you all of this is new and exciting. I've been doing it for centuries, so I actually prefer being home in Volterra over going out on missions, but someone's gotta do it."

"Maybe you should ask Aro for retirement." I winked at Felix, and he just smiled at me. He knew I wasn't serious.

Our relationship had developed into a big brother/little sister kind of relationship and the same went with Demetri. The difference between the relationship I had with Demetri and the one I had with Felix was that my relationship with Felix began over a quite embarrassing event that happened about three months after I joined the guard:

I had told Felix about this sexual urge I had been feeling every time I drank from a man and that my advances on them had been becoming more forward, and I had asked him if that was normal. Since I'd never once heard the Cullens talk about that, I'd been very unsure. Felix had then told me that it was perfectly normal for a vampire to feel extra attracted to the opposite sex when they were thirsty. Mated vampires settled that hunger with their partners while unmated vampires sometimes settled it with their prey before they drank from them. I had gotten very frustrated about that since technically, I was a mated vampire, except that my partner wasn't exactly around and it didn't feel right to have sex with the males that I would kill.

That was when Felix propositioned to be of service. I had thought he had been joking, so when I had realized that he had been serious, things had gotten awkward really fast. I'd told him that I saw him as a friend and that things would get weird if we went there. Fortunately, he'd accepted that, but things did feel awkward between us for a few days until I had decided to end it by making fun of the whole thing. Since then, Felix and I were like siblings.

I had, sadly enough, not found a solution to my problem yet, but it wasn't anything I couldn't control, so mostly I just ignored it.

"Your eyes are getting dark again. There are a few bags of blood in the refrigerator in the back," Felix said while observing my eyes.

"Ugh! I hate cold blood!" I exclaimed, but got up from my seat anyway. I needed all of my strength if I was going to be of any help at all. "Do you want one?" I teased.

"God, no! Those things are disgusting. Besides, I fed just before we left."

I sighed as I grabbed three bags and sat back down in my seat. I tore off the corner of the bags and poured the contents right down my throat. Ugh! It was like drinking from a corpse! "I can't until I can last two weeks before I need to eat again," I said as I emptied the last bag and threw them in the trash can.

"Only four months now, and then you've passed the one-year mark, and you're no longer viewed as a newborn."

"Finally!"

"And how are things going with your lessons? I heard that your Italian's getting pretty good."

"Chi te l'ha detto?" _Who said that?_ Yes, my Italian had improved immensely since I moved to Italy as well as my French and German.

After I learned that there were covens of vampires all over the world and I had to learn all of their languages, I tried my best to master them, but I was still struggling with a few. I could already speak basic Spanish so that was all set, but the hardest were definitely the Scandinavian ones, Swedish and Norwegian – I just couldn't master them – and also Russian and Chinese.

"Un uccellino." _A little bird._

"Molto divertente." _Very funny._

"Come va col tuo greco? Non vedo l'ora di poter parlare con te nella mia lingua madre." _How's it going with your Greek? I can't wait to talk to you in my native tongue._

"Non benissimo. Dovrai accontentarti dell'italiano o dell'inglese." _Not so good. You'll have to settle with Italian or English._

"Te la caverai benissimo. Del resto, abbiamo tutta l'eternità davanti a noi." _You'll get the hang of it. We have centuries in front of us after all._ Felix winked at me, and I smiled at him. This had always been my favorite way to learn a new language, just talking with Felix. He was the one that taught me French, but he did not have time to teach me his native language or any other languages because Aro kept him pretty busy.

Sulpicia – who I'd gotten pretty close to during these eight months because of her request for me to visit her regularly – had been the one to teach me Italian, while Heidi had taught me German. I had no teacher in Swedish and Norwegian because no one in the guard knew those languages. I asked them how they communicated with the covens up in Scandinavia and they said that they always spoke English with them. That was when I had decided that I wanted to at least try to learn those languages; I never thought that it would be as hard to understand as it had turned out to be.

"Yeah, and as soon as I can speak Greek, I'll teach you to speak Swedish." I went back to English.

"I don't think so. I can't understand a word they write or speak with their weird letters."

"Well, you have to learn sometime. Don't you think it's a bit discriminating that the Scandinavian covens are the only ones you don't speak to in their native tongue?"

"Not really. They haven't complained."

" _Yet._ "Felix rolled his eyes and then bent down to retrieve something on the floor. He came back up with a deck of cards.

"What do you say? We have eight hours, and maybe that's enough time for you to beat me in poker."

I raised one eyebrow at him. "You asked for it. I've studied, so now I know all of the tricks."

"Ooh, now I'm scared," Felix said sarcastically, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I hope you're not a sore loser," I mumbled under my breath. Felix ignored my comment and turned around in his seat to look at the others, all of whom had been very quiet for the length of the trip so far. "Are any of you in on a game of poker?"

Jane scoffed and just turned back to her insanely thick book. Sure, I liked to read as well, but that book was just sick. It covered her entire lap. But both Demetri and Alec joined us and Felix dealt the cards in the first round. I was a bit surprised that Alec wanted to play. I hadn't gotten close to him during my time with the guard – I had always thought he would be like his sister – but the longer we played, the more I liked him. He was actually a very humorous guy and had us laughing several times.

Before I knew it, we were landing at a private airstrip outside of the city of Seattle. It was night outside, and I could see the lights of the skyscrapers in the distance.

We all put on our cloaks – mine was now the same color as Felix's – and ran out into the night. Jane and Alec were in the front while Demetri, Felix and I ran behind them – something that came automatically with our ranks.

It was exhilarating to run in a different environment than the one I was used to in Italy. There, it was all green fields and forests and small villages while this was pure city environment. The things I'd seen in Seattle as a human were all new to me now, and I found myself loving it. I would never exchange it for my home in Volterra, but it was beautiful in its own way.

"We'll start in the heart of the city and see if we can pick anything up," Jane said with her emotionally detached voice. I wondered if she ever got tired of having the same mood all the time or if she simply didn't know what it was like to feel happy anymore.

Before we reached the heart I smelled a scent that I didn't recognize, but it was definitely vampire, and I acted without thinking and started to follow it. I didn't move far, though, before Jane collided with me, pushing me to the ground. Her eyes were wide and furious. "Never, _ever_ leave the group! We _have_ to present a _united_ front, _piccolo fica_!" She hissed at me through clenched teeth. I growled at her, not liking the way she treated me, but she only hit me across the cheek. It didn't exactly hurt, but I was shocked by the blow, so I quieted down. Jane forcefully made me look at her again by grabbing my chin with her hand. "In Volterra, you might be Aro's _pet,_ but out here _I'm_ in charge! You got that?" She sneered out the last part.

"Jane," Demetri said angrily behind her. "Give her a chance. This is the first time she's out and she will make mistakes, but that's why we're here. You can't treat her like that. What would Aro say?"

Jane flinched when Demetri mentioned Aro and then let me go. Without giving me another look, she ran in the direction of the scent, Alec right on her heels. Felix and Demetri stayed behind with me. "I'm sorry about that. Jane's got tendencies to go too far sometimes," Demetri said as I got up from the ground and brushed away the dirt from my cloak.

"It's fine. She doesn't like me, and now I definitely don't like her," I said. Felix patted my shoulder before we followed Alec and Jane.

As we followed the scent we noticed that we had entered the slum area of Seattle. We saw several drug dealers and a few homeless people, but we didn't pay them any attention.

Suddenly, another eight or nine scents got mixed with the one we were following, and as we got closer, even more of them were added. I counted up to twenty-four different scents, and I looked at Demetri and Felix with a worried expression. They did not seem worried, though, so I tried to calm down. I kept my gaze forward and felt Felix put his hand on my shoulder to show that he could feel my anxiety, but that it was all fine.

"Put up your shield, Isabella," Alec said quietly from up front. That was the first time since the plane ride that he addressed me directly, and I looked at him, confused. He looked over his shoulder and smiled. "We don't know what kind of gifts the newborns possess, so we might as well take precautions." I nodded and projected my shield around the five of us. It willingly bid my orders and hugged all of our bodies tightly, so that no empty space made it easier for an outsider to come inside. When it came down to it, my shield wasn't effective toward a physical attack after all.

The closer we got, the more we could hear what was going on in a back yard between a few buildings. We heard human screams – the smell of blood was heavy in the air and my throat burned, but I swallowed and ignored it – growls and even the horrifying sound of limbs being torn from bodies. I shuddered at the sound.

"We need the element of surprise. Let's climb up on that roof so we can watch them undisturbed." Jane pointed toward one of the buildings surrounding the yard. Once up on the roof, we looked over the edge on what was going on below, and I had to suppress the urge to gasp. I had never in my life seen something so primitive and barbaric.

A car was upside down and on fire. The driver – a young woman in her twenties – was surrounded by a group of five vampires. They had their mouths attached to her ankles, wrists, and neck, and when she ran dry too fast for their liking, they growled at each other and tore off limbs.

A sixth newborn – a girl that could not be over fifteen – was hiding behind a trashcan, observing the scene with terror in her eyes.

I looked at my fellow guards and saw that they had all watched the scene unfold with cold eyes. They had probably seen things like this so many times that it didn't surprise them anymore.

"They're definitely drawing too much attention to themselves," Demetri said, and I turned my head toward him. "We need to take action very soon."

"Not until we know who created them," Jane said calmly.

"And how will we figure that out?" I asked.

Jane smiled. "We persuade someone to tell us."

"Which one?"

We observed the newborns for a few minutes, trying to determine which one of them might know something.

"That one." Jane nodded toward one vampire that separated the ones that were fighting. He acted like a leader, but he was obviously still a newborn himself. He wasn't as young as the others, maybe a month or two younger than me, so he would probably know who created them all.

"What's our next move?" Alec asked Jane. Even if they were the same rank, Jane was obviously viewed as the leader between them.

"We wait until he leaves then we destroy the ones that are here. He'll come back here when some of them are missing."

"We'll just destroy them? Don't they get a second chance?" I didn't really like the sound of that. It wasn't like it was their fault that they didn't get the right guidance.

Jane let out a small, evil laugh before answering me. "You obviously still have a lot to learn."

I turned to Felix and he nodded at me. "The Volturi don't give second chances," he told me. "A rule you must start to live by."

I was not used to this Felix. This Felix was not my friend or even my mentor. This Felix was the emotionless, cold guard that – despite us having the same rank now – stood above me. I bowed my head down under his gaze and kept my eyes low.

"E 'solo il modo in cui le cose sono, Isabella." _It's just the way things are, Isabella._ I nodded but did not raise my eyes.

The older vampire screamed out orders to the newborns and then left with angry steps – he was not pleased with them. It only took a minute for the newborns to start their fights again and we tired of watching them.

"Alec," Jane ordered without turning her head.

I saw how Alec's gift crept like a mist down the buildings sides and started to swirl around the vampires. They all froze in place – shocked by having all of their senses cut off – and we jumped down to the ground. Each of us chose one newborn and started to dismember them. I cringed slightly when I tore the head off one and threw it in the fire by the car. The smoke turned purple and smelled sickeningly sweet; the smell of burning vampire flesh.

Hypnotized by the sight, I watched how more body parts were thrown into the fire and burned into ash. The last part that I saw in the fire was the head of the young girl. Her hair was gone and her eyes were open, looking at me.

As I stood there and watched the pyre, I tried to tell myself that I just had to get used to it. This was my life now, and I would probably have to do this again. And it would not look good if a Volturi soldier cringed and flinched every time she had to punish a criminal.

I felt Demetri and Felix put one hand each on my shoulders and squeeze. I closed my eyes and inhaled. As long as I had my friends, I could handle the rest.

We went back to the roof and waited for the older vampire to come back. We hoped he would come back tonight or we would have to seek shelter from the sun that would rise in a few hours.

We were lucky, though. The vampire came back.

When he saw the ashes on the ground, he tried to run away, but we were too fast for him. His eyes widened when he saw us and he turned his back to us to run but Jane incapacitated him before he was able to take a single step. His screams of agony echoed through the night and I tried to feel just as detached as the others. This vampire was a criminal by association and I was created to punish those like him.

"Tell us your name," Jane demanded and stopped torturing the young man that I could now see was in his early twenties. He did not answer and his screams were louder the next time. "Tell us your name and who created you." He still didn't answer, and I had to say that I was impressed by his will to keep those things a secret. The third time his entire body arched into an unnatural position, his screams were worse than ever. "You know that you don't really have a choice so just tell us. I can do this for the entire night and day if I have to."

The man gasped and panted heavily as he sprawled on the ground. "M-my n-name's Riley," he said through gasps.

"Who created you?"

"I-I don't know." He tried but he didn't fool anyone of us. It was obvious he had a secret he did not want us to know about. He got another dose of pain from Jane, and I was sure that he would have cried had he been human.

"I asked: _who_ created you?"

Riley scrunched up his face and then mumbled out, "Victoria. Her name's Victoria."

I gasped and took a step back. Victoria? What? How? Why?

"Red hair and catlike features?" I asked Riley. I cursed myself for sounding so weak. I was supposed to be a strong and skilled Volturi guard, and here I sounded like an unsure, scared little girl. I guess the past had the power to do that to you.

He looked at me with narrowed eyes and nodded. I clenched my teeth together and turned around so that my back was to him. "Destroy him. I know who she is." For the first time, my voice sounded just as emotionless and detached as Jane. I wasn't going to be scared of Victoria. The last time I met her I was still a fragile human who stood no chance against a vampire like Victoria, but now I was a skilled and trained fighter and had four other skilled fighters with me.

I did not know what kind of business Victoria had in Seattle, but I doubted it was a coincidence that she was so close to my old home.

"Isabella, we don't even know where she is yet. We need more information," Felix said, but I didn't listen.

"No! I said, _destroy him_. We'll find her eventually. It's not like Seattle is crawling with vampires."

"Do it, Felix." I heard Jane say, and I was shocked to hear her being on my side. The sound of Riley's screams started up again but was abruptly cut off when his head was torn severed from his body. Once Riley was nothing but ash, I looked over my shoulder at the others.

"Let's go," I said and started to follow Riley's scent in the direction he came from.

I was expecting the whole time that Jane would protest and tackle me to the ground again, but she just followed me quietly. Well, I wasn't going to complain.

About an hour later we arrived at a run-down house where we could hear activity in the basement. This was obviously where the rest of the newborns were, but no Victoria. I wanted to keep going, but I knew we had to take care of the problem inside the house first.

"Let's just get it over with," I said and waited for Alec's gift to take effect. This time it was about eighteen vampires that had to be destroyed, but it didn't take longer than a few minutes. When all of them had been destroyed, we just set the whole place on fire. By the look of the house, no one would exactly miss it.

While the others checked to see if they'd missed anyone, I stood a few yards away with my eyes closed and concentrated on finding Riley's scent going in a direction that would lead us to Victoria. I noticed that his scent went in four different directions. One of them was the one that would lead us back to the city, but the other three would take us in the opposite direction. They did not start at the same place, though. It was like he had started at different places to confuse the newborns.

Why was it so important that the newborns did not know who their creator was? Why all the precautions? I just couldn't understand it.

"Well? Have you found anything?" Jane came up behind me, and I told her about the trails. "We only have an hour til sunrise, so we better hurry up."

I nodded and fell back in the group, letting Jane take the lead once again.

When the sun rose, we were still looking for Victoria. We were deep in the forest so the sun rays didn't exactly reach us – still the others wanted to seek shelter.

"If we stop now we might miss her, and we're so close. I can feel it. Besides, no humans would be this deep in the forest this early in the day." I tried to persuade the others to keep going. I wanted to find Victoria now. Not tomorrow–now. I just had to know why she had created an army of newborns so close to my old home. What was her motive?

"Isabella! It's too risky. There could be humans in here – hikers, campers, and hunters." I understood my mentor's anxiety but it wasn't as if the humans could do anything to us.

"Humans disappear in the forest all the time," I said coldly. Then I said something that I would probably get punished for later. "I don't care if you come with me or not, but I'm continuing forward." Aro would not like that I was willing to leave the group, but I would take his punishment if that meant I would find Victoria faster.

Once again Jane surprised me by coming and standing beside me. "I agree," she said, but quickly colored her voice with boredom as she continued. "And I want to go home as fast as possible."

With Jane on my side, Alec quickly agreed as well, but Felix and Demetri still hesitated. "I don't know," Felix said. "Aro would have wanted for us to seek shelter."

"Aro's not here right now." I took another risk by saying that. It was a given that Aro would read all of this from any of the others' thoughts and he would not be happy with me. I looked at Jane and Alec. "I'm going." And I started to follow the trail again. Jane and Alec did not hesitate to follow, and only a few seconds later did I hear Demetri and Felix follow as well even though they were reluctant.

We entered a clearing where I could smell another vampire, and it wasn't any of the newborns. I would bet one of my arms that it was Victoria. The smell was a few hours old, though, so we would clearly not find her here.

I was slowly getting frustrated as I realized that it would be very hard to find Victoria. I knew from last year that she was very evasive, but I wasn't going to give up.

The wind changed direction and I tensed up. That smell was fresh. She was here, right now. "Lei è arrivata," _She's here._ I told the others. I said it in Italian so that she wouldn't know I was talking about her. Of course I had no idea if she spoke Italian or not.

I did not know if she was watching or if she had seen me tense up, but I still took precautions by looking around the clearing discreetly, making it look as if I tried to decide which way to go now. When I could not see her on the ground, I scanned the trees.

To my right there was a very high spruce, and close to the crown I saw an orange flame of hair flicker. "Quassù!" _Up there!_ I did not try to hide the fact that we were looking for her now and I stared right at her. She locked eyes with me and her expression showed confusion and disbelief as she looked at my face.

" _Impossible._ " I heard her whisper before she jumped from the tree she was in over to the next one.

"Stop her," I ordered Jane, and as the pain hit Victoria hard in the back, she lost her grip on the branch she was grasping and fell to the ground. A human would have likely broken their back from a fall like that.

Slowly we walked up to the heap of limbs that was Victoria on the ground. Her eyes went back and forth between us all until they settled on me. She let out a high-pitched scream and tried to attack me, but Felix and Demetri were too fast for her. They held her in her arms, directing her toward me, Jane, and Alec. She had her full focus on me, though.

"You, how…?" she hissed out in a girly voice that I would not have placed with her face. She was obviously asking how I was a vampire.

"Why I'm a vampire? It's not of your concern, but we would really like to know why you've created so many newborns?"

Victoria spit on the ground in front of my feet, and Jane gave Felix a look, telling him to proceed. He grabbed her head in his hands and slowly started to bend her neck backward. Her neck was cracking, indicating that her head was about to be severed from her shoulders and she screamed out in pain. Jane threw another look toward Felix and he stopped.

"Well?" Jane asked, making Victoria focus on her instead.

Victoria must have realized that she would die even if she told us, and it seemed as if she really wanted to get this off her chest. She gave me a look that would have turned me to ash had that been possible. "Her mate killed my James, and I wanted him to feel the same pain he inflicted on me. I created the newborns to distract his family while I killed her; a mate for a mate."

Instinctively I was furious because she wanted to inflict pain like that on Edward. He might not be my favorite person, but he was my other half. I had experienced pain from losing him, but the knowledge that he was still alive had helped me go through that. I tried to visualize how it would feel if he had been dead and Marcus's broken expression popped into my head. I flinched. I would never even consider putting anybody through that, and here Victoria had been planning it – against _my_ mate. I growled at her and bared my teeth. She only smiled at me. "I knew that would rile you up," she said delightfully.

I tried to compose myself and talked to her as calmly as I could. "You went through a lot of unnecessary trouble, Victoria," I told her and she narrowed her eyes, wondering what I could mean by that. "Nine months ago Edward left me, so even if you killed me now, he wouldn't know. So your entire plan would have gone down the drain." I knew that was a lie. A mate would feel immediately if any harm came to the other, but she did not have to know that I knew.

She smiled at me as if I was a small child who did not know what I was talking about. "If you think he would not feel when his mate dies then you are sadly mistaken. I was still in Forks when James was burned and still I felt it all as if I burned with him."

Victoria was a petty vampire and I did not want to listen to another word so I told Felix and Demetri to finish her off. I'd gotten the information I wanted. "Laurent is still out there! Just so you know!" Victoria made one last attempt to scare me and, this time, I was the one that smiled at her.

I leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I don't think he's got the backbone to go up against a Volturi guard." When I leaned away from her, her eyes had widened as she realized what coven I'd joined.

This time I kept my eyes locked with hers as her head was torn off and set on fire. It felt strangely liberating – watching her remains burn.

When the fire was out, I turned to the others. "Can we go home now?" We'd only been away from Volterra for about a day, and I was already missing it. The comfort of the castle walls and the familiar corridors was what I missed the most.

"Sorry, no. We have to check on this Laurent guy to determine if he's a threat or not." Demetri looked like he really wanted to go home as well.

I knew that Laurent had probably returned to Denali, and I was not exactly excited over the fact that I would meet the Cullens' extended family. Their golden eyes would give me more reminders than I cared for at the moment, and I did not want them to tell the Cullens about my whereabouts because it was none of their business. The Denali clan had not really met me and they did not know how I looked, but Laurent would definitely recognize me.

"Do I have to come along?"

"Yes, Laurent will wonder why the Volturi seeks him, so you have to be there."

I thought about that for a moment. "Okay, but could you do me a favor?"

"Of course, we're part of the same coven." Felix did not hesitate.

"Be very careful to not say my name while we're up there and make that clear for Laurent the first chance you get. These people are very close to the Cullens, and I don't want them on my trail."

Felix put his arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry, Isabella. We would never expose you if you don't want that."

I smiled at my mentor. "Thank you. And if you absolutely have to address me in some way, call me by my middle name, Marie."

"Anything you ask for."

"All right, now that's settled. Can we get going already?" I had never realized what a childlike quality Jane's voice took when she was impatient. Well, she was only physically twelve after all. I exchanged a look with Alec, and he just shrugged. Jane would always be Jane.

After disposing of the ashes, we ran back to the jet for our next destination. Denali, Alaska.


	5. Chapter 5

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo!**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue!**

**Chapter was beta's by Project Team Beta.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot arethe property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

We arrived in Denali the next day at noon. I stayed at the back the entire time, not wanting to draw any particular attention to myself.

Before we even reached the house, a tall, strawberry blonde woman exited. She was very tense, and I could see that she was struggling to keep up a calm front. She did not want us there.

Her golden eyes hit me hard in the stomach, but I did not show any emotions. I could not risk her discovering who I was.

"What gives us the pleasure of having the Volturi in our front yard?" the woman asked, totally failing in keeping the displeasure from her tone.

"Don't worry, Tanya. We're only here to talk to the newest addition of your coven," Jane said with an angelic smile.

"Of course," Tanya said without taking her eyes off of us, "Why don't you come inside and I'll get Irina and Laurent. They're out hunting at the moment."

We all accepted the invitation and followed Tanya inside.

The rest of the coven gathered in what looked like a sitting room with an open fireplace. Another blonde female with long hair straight as corn silk stood by the farthest wall; a black-haired woman sat in the lap of a black-haired male, both with an olive complexion. The man, I assumed, had to be Eleazar.

The black-haired woman got off her mate's lap when he stood up to greet us. "Jane, Alec, Demetri, Felix, what are you doing here?" His body language was completely relaxed and open, and he was the only one who did not act hostile toward us. I guessed that would have to be because he had once been one of us, and a part of him would always be loyal.

"Eleazar," Jane greeted the man. "We're here because a member of your coven was acquainted with a criminal in Seattle, and we need to make sure he won't try anything."

"Laurent? Who was he acquainted with?"

"A woman named Victoria. She had created an army of newborns and was drawing too much attention to herself. The humans were getting suspicious, and we had to eliminate her."

Eleazar nodded. "I understand that." His gaze fell on me. "Does _she_ have anything to do with this Victoria?" I knew he acted as if he didn't know who Victoria was. I doubted Laurent had not told them about her and James.

I took a step forward so that the Denalis could see me properly. "This is the newest addition to the Volturi guard, Marie," Felix introduced me, and I smiled inwardly as he introduced me by my middle name.

"Pleasure to meet you, Marie. I'm Eleazar, and this is my mate Carmen." He gestured toward the black-haired woman. "The one over there is Katarina. Tanya, you've already met, and Irina and Laurent won't be long now." I nodded for each person he introduced, but I did not say anything.

"She's young," Eleazar stated.

"She is," Felix confirmed.

"And she's already out with you?"

"She's very powerful for her age."

"That I can tell." Eleazar smiled, and I saw how the corners of Felix's mouth twitched. I didn't understand. How could Eleazar know that I was powerful? He had never met me, and he certainly did not know me. He must have seen my confused expression for he turned back to me. "I can sense the formidable gifts of other vampires. I can't sense you, though, so I'm guessing you are a shield."

I dumbly nodded. Why hadn't Felix or even Demetri told me about Eleazar's gift? Felix was the one who told me he used to be one of us after all.

Laurent and Irina entered with Tanya behind them then. When Laurent saw me, a flash of recognition lit up his orange eyes–he was clearly still adjusting to the diet of animal blood. It could not be easy for him since he'd fed on humans for three hundred years before now. But other than his eyes, he looked exactly as I remembered him in my hazy human memory.

Irina was also a blonde, a silver blonde, with straight hair that reached to her chin. The similarities between the three blonde women were so striking that they could have been biological sisters.

"Irina, Laurent, this is Jane, Alec, Felix, Demetri and Marie. They're from the Volturi coven," Eleazar said. Laurent frowned when I was introduced as Marie.

Jane turned to Laurent. "Your name is Laurent?"

"Yes."

"Were you acquainted with a woman named Victoria?"

"Yes. I was a member of her coven about a year back." At least he was honest, so I had to give him some credit.

"Could we have a word with you?" It was presented as a question, but he did not exactly have a choice. He and Irina were about to go outside with us when Jane stopped them. "In private." She eyed Irina, indicating that she was not coming along.

Irina put her hand on Laurent's chest. "Whatever you want to say to Laurent, you can say to me as well."

Jane sighed impatiently. "I'm afraid you don't get to make the calls here, little girl. We want to speak to Laurent alone and so we will. Try to stop us, and there will be consequences."

Tanya put her hand on Irina's shoulder and shook her head at her with movements as small as possible. Irina's shoulder slumped down, and she nodded toward Laurent to go with us.

We walked far away from the house to make sure that they would not hear us. Once we were sure, Jane gestured for me to start and I turned to Laurent. "Laurent," I greeted him with a nod.

"Bella." So he knew for sure that I was not Marie.

"I do not go by Bella anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Marie," he corrected himself.

"No, that was only a cover name for the others. I go by Isabella now."

"I see. And why don't you want my family to know your name?"

"They're too close to the Cullens, and I don't want them to know where I am."

"Why not?" he asked.

"That's not of your concern. All I'm asking is that you don't reveal my identity to your mate or any of the others."

It looked as if he contemplated my request for a while, and I raised my eyebrows at him. "You have my word," he promised.

"Now to the actual reason that we're here." Jane took over and told him the entire story of Victoria, her army, and her motive for creating that army. "What we want to know is if you pose a threat toward Isabella. Because if you do, you pose a threat against the Volturi, and we don't take treason lightly."

"Once again, you have my word. I don't want to go against you. The last time I saw Victoria was four months back when I had a lapse in my control, and I went back to human blood for a while. She asked me to run to Forks and see if I could find you there, Isabella. I never got there, though, because just outside of town I was stopped by werewolves, so I turned right back here without meeting up with Victoria."

"Wait! Did you say werewolves?" Demetri asked in disbelief.

Laurent nodded and told us a story about horse-sized wolves that chased him all the way to the Canadian border. They had traveled in a pack of five and were incredibly synchronized.

His entire story was a bit wild, and I had a hard time believing it. I had lived in Forks for nine months and the Cullens had not once mentioned any werewolves, but I did not voice it. What did I know really? I didn't even know werewolves existed, but the others' reactions to Laurent's story told me that they very much did.

"Thank you for that information, Laurent. You may go back to your coven now. Tell them goodbye for us," Jane said. Laurent nodded and ran back up to the house.

"Do werewolves really exist?" I asked Jane and she nodded.

"They do, and I would very much like to look more into it, but I don't think we can take them on ourselves. They sound way too skilled to be real Children of the Moon. I think we need to speak to the brothers about this."

"So we're going home?" I asked hopefully.

Felix, Demetri, and Alec laughed at me, and even Jane smiled a tiny smile. "Yes, Isabella, we're going home."

***~IV~***

"I do not think we should concern ourselves with these wolves just yet."

"But Master, we can't let Children of the Moon roam around in Washington State. It's too dangerous for both vampires _and_ humans alike," Jane pleaded with Aro. We had just returned from America and gathered in the throne room to tell Aro about the mission and how it all went.

"Jane, dear, I know your knowledge is not as great as mine, but you are missing a point that should be obvious to anyone," Aro said and cupped her face. Jane frowned. "When this Laurent told you about these wolves, he said that it was during the day, did he not?"

We all nodded and Aro continued. "Real Children of the Moon would be human during the day, and they only transform when it is a full moon. These creatures that Laurent met in Forks could not be anything other than Shape-Shifters by the sound of his description. These creatures are just as dependent on secrecy as we are and would never expose us. As for the danger they pose to our kind, we won't take action until it is absolutely necessary. As far as I have heard, no vampires have been killed in Washington State, aside from Victoria, for decades." Aro let go of Jane's face and turned so that he had his back to us. "You may all go now, except Isabella. I would like to speak to you alone."

All of the others left while I stood firm in my place. I was not going to lie and say that I wasn't afraid of what Aro was going to say because I was. Completely terrified, but hopefully it wouldn't be too horrible. I turned my head and watched the others disappear through the double doors.

"Isabella." I whipped my head back front and saw that Aro had turned to face me again. "I am well aware that this was your first mission, and that a few mistakes were to be expected, but I am still very disappointed in you." I felt like a scolded child, and I looked down at the ground. I was so ashamed of my behavior in Seattle, and I hated that I'd disappointed my Master. "But at the same time I can not overlook the fact that your instincts helped you find Victoria faster." My head snapped up to see if I had heard it right. Did Aro just compliment me?

Aro smiled at me. "Do not look so shocked, Isabella. It does not suit you." He walked up to me and put his hands on my shoulders. "You have to know that the procedure for a new guard does not usually go this fast. I have pushed you harder than I pushed the others because I see that you have great potential that reaches far beyond the rest of us, and I am so proud to have you in my coven."

Warmth spread through me at his praise, and had I still been able to cry, I would have. His words meant more to me than he would ever realize.

Aro continued: "On a more dangerous note, I have come to care for you in a way a master should not care for his guard. It could complicate things when it is all about business. During your absence, I was worried that I let you go out too early, and I do not want you out on missions unless I am with you."

I frowned, confused. "I'm sorry, Master, but I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

Aro looked dead serious as he continued. "Isabella, I want you to become the entire Family's bodyguard. You will have more responsibility than Renata, and therefore, she will have to answer to you from now on. You are going to be the same rank as Jane and Alec, so if anything would ever happen to the Family, then it will be you, Jane, and Alec who will lead."

I stared at Aro with my mouth agape. Was he serious? "M-master, I-I…I don't know what to say. 'Thank you' doesn't really cover it." I felt strangely breathless, and my eyebrows were probably about to disappear into my hairline.

Aro walked across the room and opened a door that I'd never entered before. He walked through the door and disappeared. Was I supposed to stay here and wait for him or was I supposed to leave? Suddenly, the greatness of the responsibility Aro had put on my shoulders started to weigh me down. How could I possibly become a high priority guard when I was only eight months old? I didn't know if I was ready for this.

Aro did come back, and in his hand he held a cloak that was almost black; the same color as Jane and Alec's. He unclasped my old cloak and put the new one over my shoulders. Once it was fastened, Aro put both of his hands on my cheeks and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes and reveled in the feeling of being so close to my Master.

Aro stepped back and sat down on his throne. He clasped his hands in front of him and tilted his head to the side. "As much as it pains me, I still have to punish you for going against Jane when she was your leader in Seattle. I can not have the guard think I give you special treatment." I nodded. I completely understood that. I had expected punishment. "Your punishment will be to go thirsty until the rest of us feed. You are not allowed to call Heidi to hunt for you, but it is only a week and a half away, so I am pretty sure you will be able to handle it."

I flinched slightly. It would be painful to walk around thirsty, but I wasn't going to disobey my Master, so I swallowed thickly. "I understand completely, Master, and I promise I won't disobey you," I vowed.

"That's good, Isabella. You may go." I did a small bow and left the room.

I went to my room and sat down on my bed, fingering the fabric of my new cloak. My promotion definitely overshadowed my punishment any day.

A knock on the door made me look up to see Felix standing in the opening. "How bad was it?" he asked, referring to my punishment. His eyes settled on my new cloak and his eyes widened. "He promoted you?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm now the head bodyguard for the Family."

"Whoa! That's huge! So you mean that you're like Renata's boss now?"

"Yes, I guess I am."

"And he didn't even punish you?" Felix frowned. I guessed that was what Aro meant with what the guard would think if I received special treatment. No one, not even Felix, would like that.

"No, he punished me. I have to go thirsty until you all feed."

"But that's over ten days away. That's kind of harsh considering you're still a newborn."

"Maybe, but I'm not about to go against Aro."

A silence fell over us then, and I realized that Felix was actually uncomfortable in my presence. "What is it?" I asked him, and he just shrugged his shoulders. "No, tell me what the matter is."

"Nothing, it's just that it feels weird to be with you like this when I know that you're so far above me."

I shook my head and walked up to him. "No Felix, don't! I'm still the same person, and I still see you as my big brother and mentor. I might have been promoted, but I still have a lot to learn. I need you, Felix. Please don't distance yourself from me."

His red eyes looked into mine for a long time before he nodded. "I actually came here because Sulpicia's asking for you. She wanted me to come get you."

Right! I had Italian now and I was already late for it. "Right! Thank you, Felix!"

"No problem." We left my room together and then separated in the corridor.

"Sei in ritardo, Isabella." _You're late, Isabella,_ was how I was greeted when I climbed the stairs to Sulpicia and Athenodora's tower.

I did not answer Sulpicia until she could see me, out of respect for her. "Sonospiacente,Padrona!Sonostatatrattenutanellasaladeltrono." _I'm sorry, Mistress! I was held up in the throne room._ I looked around the tower and saw that Sulpicia once again sat by the window – her favorite spot – while Athenodora was sketching something on a big canvas. Corin sat on her knees in a corner as usual. I welcomed the calm atmosphere with open arms and sat down on the floor.

Sulpicia eyed my new cloak. "Capisco." _So I can see._ She raised an eyebrow. "Mio marito non aveva mai permesso che una recluta delle guardie salisse nei ranghi tanto quanto te." _My husband never allow a new guard climb in ranks the way you have._ Her tone was slightly accusing as if I had done something toward Aro.

"Non me lo spiego nemmeno io." _I don't understand it either._

Sulpicia took a deep breath as if to clear her mind. "Non parliamone più. Parlami invece della tua missione." _Let's not talk about that. Tell me about the mission._

"Si trattava di una donna di nome Victoria. Aveva creato un esercito di neonati." _It was a woman named Victoria. She had created an army of newborns._

"Perché?" _Why?_

"Mi stave dando la caccia. Pensava che vivessi ancora nello stato di Washington." _She was after me. She thought I was still living in Washington._

"E perché mai avrebbe dovuto dare la caccia proprio a te?" _Why in the world was she after you?_ Both of Sulpicia's eyebrows were raised, and I could see that she had a hard time believing it.

"Edward aveva ucciso il suo compagno, e voleva vendicarsi uccidendo me. Una compagna per un compagno." _Edward killed her mate and she wanted revenge by killing me. A mate for a mate._

Sulpicia and Athenodora had been a big part of my coping with the pain of being separated from my mate. They had not told me that I should just seek him up because they knew I couldn't do that. Carlisle's lifestyle was well-known, and anyone that adopted that it would have a hard time accepting those that did not practice the same one. Edward would never accept me being part of the Volturi and he would definitely not accept me drinking human blood. He would want to change me, and take me away from my coven, control me into thinking like him.

But I didn't want that. I liked my life here, loved it even. It had all become a part of who I was, even the killing. Like Felix said: it got easier over time, and I didn't feel guilty anymore.

"Capiscio. E come hai reagito a tutto ciò?" _I see. And how did you react to that?_

I smiled at her. "Lei è morta, nevvero?" _She's dead, isn't she?_

Sulpicia couldn't stop herself from chuckling at that. " àqualcunopernutrirti." _Your eyes are dark. Corin can fetch someone to eat for you._ Corin stood up to do just that, but I stopped her.

"No! E 'la punizione che Aro mi a inflitto." _No! It's my punishment from Aro._

"Punizione? Quale punizione?" _Punishment? What punishment?_ Sulpicia narrowed her eyes. She had grown quite fond of me during the last eight months, and she did not like the prospect of her husband punishing me.

I hung my head and spoke to the ground. "Gli ho disobbedito impedendo a Jane di comandare la missione." _I disobeyed him by not letting Jane be the leader while we were out._ It did not get any easier to confess my lack of respect for my Master and my fellow guard. It only got worse.

"Ma hai completato la missione con successo. Non dovrebbe punirti per qualcosa che non ha avuto conseguenze sul risultato." _But you completed the mission. He should not punish you for something that did not affect the result_.

"E' una questione di principio. Avrebbe punito chiunque altro, se si fossero comportati come me." _It's a matter of principle. He would have punished anyone else if they did what I did._

Sulpicia smiled. "Hai ragione. Temo sia perchè io e te siamo così vicine." _You're right. I guess it's because you are so close to me._ I felt incredibly flattered by that. It wasn't only Aro who felt something more for me, but his wife as well. I wondered why that was. Caius had never gotten around liking me. To him, I was only another guard. The same went for Athenodora. She liked that I presented them with some company, but whenever I was here, she was quiet while Sulpicia did all the talking. And then there was Marcus. I had absolutely no idea what he thought of me, if he liked me or disliked me. It was kind of frustrating because I never knew how I should act around him. With Aro, it was a more personal Isabella, with Caius it was all business, but Marcus was a big question mark.

I wondered what he was like when Didyme was still alive, but I didn't dare to ask since I'd noticed that was a touchy subject.

I sat with the wives for hours, and it felt so good to be back home even if I'd only been away for three days.

***~IV~***

I lay in bed and tried to think of anything except the burning thirst I felt. It was six days left until all of them would eat, and it was getting harder to ignore the burn. My fingers itched to call Heidi and beg her to fish for me, but I knew she would tell Aro, and then there would be hell to pay.

It had even gone so far that I'd started to think the animals in the forest outside my window smelled appealing, and their heartbeats teased me loudly. But I refused. I would not sink to the level of the Cullens. I would not be an abnormality when I'd finally found the place where I was seen as a part of something.

I closed my eyes and cleared my mind as best I could. I didn't think of anything. I just existed – the vampire version of sleep.

Hours later I came back to myself, and I looked outside to see that the sun was high in the sky. It looked like it was around noon. Days and nights just blended together when you were a vampire, and you kind of lost track of time. I had not slept for eight months so that time felt as if it had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

I heard steps down the corridor, and I looked toward my door. Afton appeared and I frowned. He may be a part of the guard, but I barely ever saw him, so it was a bit bewildering to see him now.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Aro wanted me to come get you. You are needed in the throne room." His voice was low, not much above a whisper, and it sounded as if he didn't use it regularly like the rest of us. Huh…a hoarse vampire…I'd never thought that was possible.

I got up from my bed and left for the throne room. It wasn't until I was halfway there that I realized I had not thanked Afton for alerting me to Aro's orders. That was weird. I was always polite, but it was just something with Afton. He totally melted into the background, and you simply forgot he was there. It had absolutely nothing to do with his very limited gift, and it didn't even work on me anyway.

Once inside the throne room, I did a small bow in front of the brothers. "You called for me, Masters?"

"Yes, we did. Both you and Renata have to project your shields. Felix and Demetri are arriving any moment with a vampire that had a bit too much fun in Rome. We don't know if she's got any gifts, but we don't want to take any chances."

"Of course," I said and took my new position behind the thrones. Renata joined me moments later and we entwined our hands. We had discovered that by doing so, we could combine our shields into one impenetrable force field that would be impossible to enter if we didn't allow it.

The vampire – a female with blonde hair – was brought in, and the interrogation started; Who created her? When was she created? Why had she been so careless with her hunting? And so on.

It turned out that she had not been aware of the Volturi or their rules. She had woken alone two months earlier, and she begged for a second chance. She did not want to die. But the Volturi did not give second chances. I did feel an ounce of sympathy for her, though. It was exactly the same situation as with the newborns; it wasn't her fault that she had not gotten the guidance she should have gotten.

I wondered how many vampires there would be out there if the creators took their responsibility and guided the young ones. It was absolutely awful how many old vampires that was out there that simply bit humans because they liked seeing them twisting in pain. It was pure sadism. Sadly, there was nothing we could do to prevent it.

The execution of the woman was fast and painless, as Alec had been ordered to cut off her senses so she wouldn't feel death coming, but I still had to look away from the scene. The emotional detachment I had acquired during the later half of the mission in Seattle had slowly drained away since we came back home.

This was the second time I was involved in an execution in the course of only five days, and I wondered how long it would take for me to stop feeling affected by the whole procedure. Perhaps I would never get used to it. I sincerely hoped I would, and soon. I did not know how long I would be able to take the nauseous feelings that were evoked in me when I heard the sound of vampires being ripped apart.

***~IV~***

_So thirsty._

I swallowed repeatedly but it didn't help.

_So thirsty._

My eyes were bottomless pools of black. I had never seen them so dark before, and the vision scared me a bit. I was afraid that I would lose control any minute.

Who was I kidding? I had already lost control. I was a useless, weak, shivering mess. I was curled up in a corner of my room, and I tried to get my mind off my thirst, but it was impossible. I'd lost track of time, and I had absolutely no idea of how many days were left in my punishment.

I grabbed my hair by the roots and pulled. This was pure torture. I needed to feed, and I needed to feed _now_. The burn in my throat reminded me of my transformation. I shuddered.

_So thirsty._

I heard the thick pumping of a heart below my window, and I cowered further into my corner. _Please, don't let this go on much longer._

"Isabella?"

_No!_ _Don't make me go into the throne room!_ _I want to stay here!_ _I can't go there!_ _Too thirsty!_ I screamed in my head.

"Isabella, Heidi will arrive at any moment. It's time to feed." My head snapped up, and I locked my gaze with the one standing in my doorway. It was Renata.

"Really?" I asked with a weak voice. If she played a trick on me, one of her limbs would go missing.

"Yes. You've reached the end of your punishment." I exhaled with relief and did not waste another second. I ran at full speed to the throne room, but Renata stopped me before I entered. I growled at her, and she flinched slightly. She knew I was above her now, and she was a naturally submissive vampire, so she did not like having to go against me, but she stood her ground. "You have to wait before you go inside."

"Why?" I had not stopped growling. Just through those doors was my next meal, and I craved it so badly. I had to feed _now._

Renata looked at me with her own dark eyes. They weren't black as mine but still very dark. "Please, Isabella. If you're in there when the first human enters you won't be able to control yourself, and you'll lunge forward before the others are inside. There will be humans running around in the entire castle. Just wait here, and I'll tell you when you can come inside."

The reasonable part of my mind told me that what she was saying was nothing but the truth, but I was far beyond reasonable at this point. "If you let me wait for tenth of a second too long, you'll regret it," I said through clenched teeth, and Renata nodded before she entered the throne room. I heard how she told the brothers about my condition and why she had told me to wait outside.

Only minutes later did I hear the stomping of feet, the heartbeats, and breathing of at least fifty humans. I was so thirsty I was sure I could drink three of them by myself. I heard Aro greeting the group, and as soon as the big doors closed, I heard Renata telling me to come inside.

I burst through the door and zeroed in on the first human – a woman in her forties. The humans had not even registered what was going on, and I had already ripped the woman's throat open. I had not meant to do that, but I was so thirsty that I could not control my movements anymore. Blood gushed out of her neck at a rapid pace, and it flowed down on the floor. Her neck was just a big open wound, and I could see that I had severed her neck artery.

Her blood smelled divine, and I lapped up the nectar like a cat would lap up milk. _Oh, that's so good!_ I moaned at the feeling of finally quenching the never-ending burn in my throat.

Once the woman was empty, I looked up and targeted my next prey; a boy, maybe sixteen years old. He was pressing up against the wall and watched the massacre with terrified eyes. I was more controlled now, but only slightly. I still did not have the patience to break his neck before I sunk my teeth into his flesh. Even if his blood tasted good, there was something off with it. It was as if he was on medication or taking drugs or something. But I didn't think long about that. As soon as he was drained, I let him fall to the floor.

I felt like myself again, but I was still very thirsty, so I chose a third victim – a man in his thirties. Mm, my favorite! His eyes widened with fear when he saw me approaching him, and he fell down on his knees and started to pray. He made a cross over his chest and kept his eyes closed.

Standing in front of him, his head reached just below my breasts. I ran my hand through his hair in a gentle gesture, and he shuddered. I crouched down so we were eye to eye, and when he opened his eyes and saw me there, he gasped. I put my finger over his lips. "Shh! Don't worry, I'll make it quick." I did not know what possessed me to do it, but I let my tongue out and licked his mouth – _Mmm_ , _he_ _tasted_ _good_ – before I kissed him deeply. My tongue pushed inside his mouth, and I smiled slightly when I felt his tongue responding to mine. I pulled away and the man looked at me with wonder.

I quickly snapped his neck before I drained him as well.

I straightened up and looked around for the first time. Bodies were everywhere, broken, crushed, and bloody. Felix and Heidi were in the middle of drinking, but the rest of us were finished. I looked down at myself and saw that my clothes were absolutely drenched. I had gotten better at eating during the last few months, but I had been so thirsty that the savage in me had broken free.

I pulled out a pocket mirror and took comfort from seeing my eyes bright crimson red again. I sighed: it felt good to be myself again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo.**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue.**

**Chapter was beta'd by Project Team Beta.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 6**

_**45 years later** _

I looked at myself in the mirror and straightened my cloak before I exited my chamber and went to the throne room.

"Is everything ready?" I asked Jane, who'd supervised the organization of the guard.

"Yes, we're ready."

"Good. Then let's go."

We were all going to South America – _all_ of us. About a year ago we became aware of some suspicious activity that took place in Brazil, deep in the rain forest. It had been reported by humans that during the last three hundred years the same man with red eyes had visited several villages and seduced young women. The idea of an incubus wasn't anything new to us, but it was the stories that followed that had made us concerned. The young women's bellies had started to grow at a rapid pace, and a month after the visit from the red-eyed man, they had all disappeared. Later on, they were all found dead with their stomachs open as if whatever was in there had chewed its way out.

About ten years after I'd joined the guard, I had heard the stories about the Immortal Children – children that were changed when they were still toddlers – and how they were incapable of developing beyond the toddler stage. We were afraid that something similar was happening now, but at the same time we didn't really know what was going on. We decided to go to Brazil and investigate, and since we were so uncertain about what we would find, we decided it was the safest option that we all go. Even Sulpicia and Athenodora were coming, even if it caused some stress to Aro and Caius. I calmed them down by telling them that I would not leave their wives sides for a single second.

I was glad that Caius had finally started to put some real trust in me. Ever since I mastered my shield and was able to let Aro read my thoughts – where he read that I did not plan on leaving even though Chelsea still couldn't tie me to them – he'd almost warmed up to me. I was still only a guard, but I was a guard worthy of his trust now.

I saw Sulpicia standing by the thrones and smiling. She had her black cloak on and her braid had been collected up into a bun. I walked up to her.

"What are you smiling at?" I asked with my own smile.

Sulpicia looked at me. "I'm just so excited." Corin wasn't far away so my queen was still her calm and serene self, but there was a light in her eyes that I had not seen before.

"Why are you excited? It's not exactly a vacation we're going on," I told her gently.

"I know, it's just that," she paused, "even though I love my life here in Volterra, it's exciting to go out and see new things. I haven't been outside these walls since Didyme died, and that was over three thousand years ago. I don't know how the world outside looks, and it excites me that I'll finally find out."

I smiled. "Okay, but don't get too excited. If anything happens to you, I'll be the one to be blamed." I winked at her and she laughed.

"Don't worry. I'll be on my best behavior."

I nodded and walked over to Alec.

I had automatically become the leader between the three of us even if Jane hated it. She didn't like the fact that I was younger than the two of them and how that made me stronger and faster when it came to physical fights, as that was the only thing they had against me. Over the years, Jane had warmed up to me slightly. She still didn't like me, but she accepted me as one of them.

Her brother was a different story. He did like me, and he had gladly allowed me the position as the leader since he avoided giving orders as often as he could. When it was only Jane and him, it had been the same way.

Next to Alec stood Sadie – the newest addition to the Volturi coven, and Alec's mate. Sadie had no gift and she was, just like Afton, only allowed to stay for the sake of keeping Alec with us. Alec's gift was too valuable to lose, and he would not stay if that meant losing Sadie.

She was a cute little girl, changed at the age of fifteen. She had light red hair, and as a human, she had incredibly fair skin and lots of freckles. She was very short, only 4 feet 9, which made her look even younger than she was.

Sadie came to us about fifteen years ago. She had been in Volterra on vacation with her family when she got lost on the street, and she didn't know how to find her parents. Sulpicia had seen the girl from her window and asked one of us to go get her. Once inside the castle, Sadie was fascinated by it all and when Alec saw her for the first time, he knew there was something special about her. Sulpicia had first intended the girl to be her meal, but Alec did not allow that – the one and only time he used his rank to his advantage.

We helped Sadie find her parents, but she returned every day for the duration of her vacation to be with Alec. When it was time for her to go home, Alec begged her to stay, and he told her what he was. Surprisingly she had accepted it all, and she told her parents that she was not coming home with them. They had tried to make her, but that was when Aro stepped in, pretending to be Alec's guardian – he looked much too young to be his father – and said that he would be delighted to have Sadie live with him and if the relationship did not work between the young ones, he'd pay for her ticket home himself.

Needless to say, that had been the last Sadie's parents had heard from her.

I could see as I got closer to them that Sadie was distracting Alec from doing his task. He was to inform the guard about what to expect in Brazil. Most of the guard did not do field work as that had been the job of Felix, Demetri, Jane and Alec for so long.

I cleared my throat.

Sadie immediately took a step away from Alec, and when she saw my disapproving glare, she lowered her eyes to the floor.

Alec stared at me to tell me that I could not treat his mate in that way. I just challenged him with a stare of my own, and he clenched his teeth but did not say anything.

Once Alec had informed the guard of all the necessary things, I left to tell the brothers that we were ready for departure.

"Masters." I knelt down in front of them and kept my gaze on the floor. "The guard is organized and ready for departure."

"Well done, Isabella. You may rise." I straightened up and took my position right behind the brothers. Renata took my hand, and I looked over my shoulder to make sure that Sulpicia and Athenodora were behind us. I reached with my free hand behind me to grab Sulpicia's hand. This was the most efficient way for me to know that I never let the wives out of my sight. Renata placed her hand on Aro's back, and we were ready to protect the entire Family.

Aro gave a few last minute instructions to the guard, and we were on our way.

Hours later we reached Brazil, and Heidi handed out contact lenses to all of us. We were going to talk to the people in the villages that had been subjected to the "attacks" of the red-eyed man, and it wouldn't work to our advantage if we were red-eyed as well.

The contacts in my container were a dark green and mixed with my red eyes, they would create a shade of brown that resembled the color I had when I was human.

I really hated having to put in contacts. They irritated my eyes, and my sight became all wrong when the texture of the lens made me focus on that instead of looking forward.

Entering the villages, people gave us a wide berth, at first, sensing that we were something else, but when they realized why we were there, they willingly told us about their experiences and the stories they'd heard from relatives.

Two days later, we'd collected enough information. From the stories we'd heard it sounded like these women had actually become pregnant with the spawn of the red-eyed man, but the pregnancy had been very accelerated, only lasting for about a month, and the birth had always taken the life of the mother. These "children" had never been found, though, so we were doubtful they even existed. However, we had to speak to the vampire that caused all of the fuss.

After six months and no success in finding him – the rain made it almost impossible to track him – I tried to convince the Family to go back to Volterra. "Please, Masters. This mission can take several more months, and it can get dangerous. At least consider going back, please."

"Isabella, we're safer if we continue with you. In Volterra we would be unprotected because all our best guards are here," Aro said. He had my face in his hands, and I let go of my shield to let him know that I was just worried. "My dear child, don't fret. We're safe as long as you're with us."

I took a deep breath and nodded. It was so painful to have them out here in the field. I trusted my shield, I really did, and I was pretty sure that after forty-six years I had perfected my control of it, but if I was distracted in the wrong way, it could be disastrous.

"Isabella! Jane! I think we've found something!" Santiago called for us, and I walked with Jane to see what they had found. Demetri had a few crumpled leaves in his hand that he kept sniffing on – the only vampire scent we'd come across during our trip – and right now he was comparing it to a scent on one of the trees surrounding us. "What did you find?" I asked, and Demetri stood up.

"The same scent but stronger this time. He was here not too long ago – before the last rain period but only a few days." It had rained about two weeks ago, so that meant we were getting closer.

"Follow it," I told him. I ordered the guards to get together so we could keep going. This had been the longest mission I'd ever been out on, and I missed home. I didn't want to be out anymore, so I really hoped that this time was the charm, and we actually found the vampire.

Another week later, we were running through a forest when we heard a scream. It was far away and faint, indicating that it was a human scream, but we could also hear a tearing sound, a sound we were all very familiar with. A vampire was being torn apart only a mile or so away.

After exchanging a look with Jane and Alec – and ordering Renata to stay with the Family while we investigated – we changed direction and ran toward the scream. Before we got there, there was a faltering in the human heartbeat before it stopped completely. The tearing sound continued, though, and we picked up pace. What was going on?

When we arrived we were met with a vision I'd never thought I'd see. A small baby, smaller than any human baby I'd ever seen, was on the ground licking its fingers clean from the blood it was covered in. It had its eyes open, and whenever its mouth was open, we could see a full set of straight teeth that were colored red with blood.

The mother had an expression of pain etched on her face. Her eyes were staring unseeingly up at the sky, and her stomach was completely mangled. My eyes went from the stomach to the baby as I tried to comprehend what I was seeing.

" _What_ is _that_?" Jane asked with disgust coloring her tone. I had to admit that even if the scent of blood was heavy in the air, the sight wasn't appealing in any way. The baby scared me as it seemed way too focused to be a newborn.

"I don't know," I whispered to myself. I had never heard of such a thing and neither had any of the other guards.

"It's an abomination," Felix growled at the thing, and I totally agreed with him. Whatever it was, it wasn't normal.

"We can't let it live. It can be a danger to all of us," Demetri said, and all of us agreed with him.

"Wait!" Chelsea exclaimed when we moved closer towards the "child." "It's just a baby!"

"Chelsea!" Afton said with fear. He did not like it when his mate went against the majority. All eyes locked on her, and she instinctively took a step back.

I could hear the Family approaching us, and I took a step to the side to shield the "child" from the view of my Masters. Who knew what this _thing_ could do? I was not taking any chances. When Aro touched me, he could see exactly what we saw, and he inhaled sharply but quickly composed himself. "We do not know what we can expect from the child, and we can not take risks," he echoed my thoughts, and we started to close in on the child again.

The infant observed us quietly and did not cry, but it must have felt that it was not safe in our presence for it tried to get away by crawling on all fours. It was not fast enough, though, and Jane quickly flitted forward and broke the abomination's neck. It was strange watching that happen. The skin of the creature seemed like it had been the same as ours, but blood was collecting under the skin where the neck had been broken. Its eyes had been dark brown and its skin had been golden brown.

Jane let the limp body fall to the ground and only seconds later, we heard an outraged roar. A male vampire was charging forward from the trees, and he landed on his knees next to the woman and the dead creature. Demetri tensed as he recognized the scent. This was the vampire we'd been looking for.

The man took the creature in his arms and hugged it against his chest. He made himself strangely vulnerable by doing this, and none of us knew how to act. We'd never crossed a situation like this before. Even so, we did not show our insecurity.

The man was tearlessly sobbing in Portuguese. "Minha linda criação! Minha filha!" I had never studied Portuguese, so I had no idea what he said. My Spanish did not help me much, and I looked at the others to see if they knew what he was saying.

Santiago, surprisingly enough, stepped forward and spoke to the man. "O que você quer dizer com 'sua filha?'"

The man looked up at him with hate-filled eyes before he started to scream at him. "Afastem-se de mim, seus monstros! Vocês mataram minha filha! Eu almadiçoo você e todo o seu bando!"Jane raised her eyebrows at his tone, and the man started to scream for a totally different reason. I held up a hand to stop her, and she clenched her teeth. Couldn't she understand that we needed him coherent so that we could ask him about these creatures?

"What's he saying?" I asked Santiago.

"He says we've killed his daughter, and now he's cursing us," Santiago said calmly.

"Ask him his name," Aro ordered behind us. He and the rest of the Family stood a safe distance away in case the man became violent.

"Qual o seu nome?" The man did not answer him. "Responda!"

"Quem quer saber?"When the man finally answered his tone was very defiant.

"Os Volturi." The man's eyes widened and he tightened his hold on his "daughter."

"O que você quer de mim?"

"He wants to know what we want."

I shook my head. "His name first."

Santiago turned back to the man. "Primeiro diga seu nome."

"Joham."

"Ask him why he's doing this," Jane said.

The man and Santiago exchanged words in fast Portuguese until, finally, Santiago turned back to us. "He says that he found out about these creatures when he fell in love with a human woman that became pregnant by him, and now he's creating them because he thinks they are the future of the vampire race. He also says they're harmless."

"Not likely." Jane had a scowl on her face as she glared at Joham. I wasn't particularly fond of him either.

"Papai!"a female voice said from the trees, andJoham whipped his head toward the sound with wide eyes. I inclined my head toward the voice, and I could clearly hear the strange heartbeat and smell the weird scent that this female shared with the dead creature on the ground.

"Chame elas aqui,"Santiago said something that sounded like an order.

The man answered with a clear plea.

The next thing Santiago said came through clenched teeth. "Chame. Elas. Aqui."

Joham sighed. "Eu estou bem aqui!" he said with a tired voice.

"Papai! Por que você se afastou de nós?" said the same female voice before a beautiful young woman emerged from the trees. Three more women followed her, but when they saw us they all froze in their tracks. "Quem são essas pessoas, pai?"

"Os Volturi." Joham growled out, and the four young women gasped before they tried to flee.

"Stop them!" I cried out and Felix, Demetri, Santiago, and Alec ran after them. They caught up with them before they went too far and brought them back to us. Joham hung with his head in defeat. He mumbled something and the women stopped struggling.

I looked pointedly at Santiago, waiting for him to explain. "From what I understand, these four women are also his daughters."

At that revelation, we all hissed and took a step back. Did he imply that these women, that were even more beautiful than any vampire, were the same kind of abomination as the one we'd just killed? Were there more of them?

"Does he have any more _children_?" I spat out, and Santiago asked Joham.

"Eu tenho um filho mas ele nunca se juntou a mim. Ele está com a tia no Brasil."

"A tia?"

"Sim, ele é o único dos meus filhos que pôde criar um outro vampiro. A irmã da mãe dele estava presente durante seu nascimento e ele mordeu ela."

I cleared my throat and Santiago turned his attention to me. "He says he's got a son, but he doesn't travel with him. He's with his biological aunt in Brazil."

"His what?" Heidi asked. Until now, she, Chelsea, Afton, Corin, Renata, and Sadie had kept quiet. I looked at them, and they looked slightly uncomfortable. Apart from Renata and Heidi, they were not used to going out like this.

"Apparently, his son is the only one of his children that's venomous, and during his birth he bit his aunt, and she turned into a vampire."

"And he's absolutely sure that the others aren't venomous?"

Santiago asked and Joham answered with a shake of his head. "He's sure."

I looked at the women for a short second and asked one last question. "How old are they?"

Joham eagerly answered as if this was the key that would save him and his daughters. "The oldest is two hundred and fifty and the youngest barely thirty." It was impossible to see which one was the oldest because they all looked like the same age: around twenty, give or take a year.

I nodded for myself, turned around and walked up to the Family. "What should we do? It's all up to you."

Aro turned to his brothers. "Let us counsel," he said and both of them nodded. They formed a kind of triangle as they faced each other. I turned my head slightly to give Alec the go on cutting off the man and his daughters' senses. When it was in effect, the guys put the women down so they sat next to their father.

For the first time since they arrived, I took a closer look at them. They were incredibly beautiful with their golden-brown skin, dark eyes and long black hair. Their cheeks were flushed with color, and their bodies were long and graceful. It was like looking at the most beautiful human in the world, because with their features, you would never believe that they were half-vampires. They looked too warm and alive to be cold, undead corpses like the rest of us. I could even feel the heat radiating off of them from where I stood.

They had high cheekbones, full lips and beautifully chiseled jaws. Overall, they looked very feminine with hourglass figures and long slim limbs.

"We need to be sure that these hybrids won't jeopardize the future of the vampire existence." Aro's voice regained my attention, and I looked at the brothers. "Human technology has advanced in a way that they could easily kill a vampire today if the secret came out. The secret is to our advantage and without that we have nothing. It has never been more important to keep our existence in the shadows."

"I say we get rid of them. Kill the women and then their father, and forget any of this ever happened. Keep the information to ourselves," Caius said with passion. He hated when new information was revealed about our species. He wanted things to be like they had always been.

"But brother, think about the possibilities. We're getting closer and closer to finding out exactly what our species is capable of. This is a great deal." Aro tried to persuade Caius to think like him, but he was stubborn.

"I don't like this. These hybrids can blend in with humans in a way we can't, and with their vampire knowledge they could easily overtake us. They're obviously highly intelligent creatures."

"Exactly, and you want to destroy them."

"To protect our existence! Our way of living! Vampires aren't supposed to interact with humans like that," Caius exclaimed and stared angrily at Aro.

"Only when we hunt, right?" Aro challenged his, physically-looking, older brother with a raised eyebrow.

"Exactly." I had never seen Caius and Aro talk like this. They actually acted like real brothers for once, and it was a bit unsettling to see them disagree with each other so strongly. It was important we were all united. I was afraid I was seeing cracks in our foundation by watching them like this.

I felt the need to step in between them, but I was afraid I'd be punished. Well, I had to take that risk. "Masters? Would you mind if I tell you what I think?"

"You don't have that authority!" Caius growled at me, and I took a step back. Aro frowned at my forwardness but gestured for me to continue. I hesitated. I could see that neither Caius nor Aro liked my meddling, but Aro had given me his permission to speak now. I swallowed thickly and opened my mouth, but nothing came out. The words I wanted to say were stuck in my throat.

I was shocked when Sulpicia came forward and put her hand in Aro's, all the time keeping her eyes on me.

Whatever she was thinking, it did not please Aro. His free hand clenched into a fist, and he stared at her as if she was crazy. The whole time I stood there with my mouth open, looking like a complete idiot. What had I thought I would accomplish by stepping between them? As Caius had said, I did not have the authority to speak during a counsel. Unfortunately, I could not take it back now.

The silent conversation between my Master and Mistress ended when Sulpicia pulled her hand from Aro and stepped back to her original place. Aro had closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he locked his gaze with mine.

"Go on, Isabella." His voice was full of suppressed anger, and I wondered exactly what Sulpicia had told him.

I took a deep breath and finally spoke up. "I say you give Joham a warning and forbid him from creating another hybrid. Technically, he didn't break the law since we don't have any laws covering this area. If he doesn't heed your warning, we'll end him. At the same time, I feel that we should keep this information to ourselves until we know more. We can take the dead one with us and see what we can find out."

Caius glared at me while Aro considered what I'd said. For me, it was the most logic solution, and I hoped the brothers would see it my way. Aro was almost on my side; Marcus would take the side that would mean as little violence as possible, so he was on my side as well. It was Caius that would be a challenge.

"We should vote," Caius hissed out and threw one last glare my way. I quickly averted my eyes down to the ground and turned my back to them to give them some kind of privacy. "You already know my opinion. Deal with this and forget it ever happened."

"I like Isabella's suggestion," Marcus simply said before he fell quiet once again.

Aro cast a glance at Caius, then agreed with Marcus. "It's the most logical solution, brother."

"You'd take the suggestion of a _guard_ over _mine_?" The fact that Caius reacted more strongly when Aro sided with me than when Marcus did showed how little he actually valued Marcus's opinion.

Aro sighed. "Caius, it's not about that. I just feel that Isabella has a point. Joham didn't break any laws, and if we start killing people that aren't criminals, what do you think will be said about the Volturi's integrity?"

Caius flinched slightly, and after thinking it over for a few seconds, he gave in. "Fine, then. So be it."

The entire guard had heard their conversation, and as soon as they had come to an agreement, Alec lifted his power from the women and Joham. They relaxed as soon as they could see again.

Aro ordered Santiago to translate for him and told Joham our conditions. He was to stop creating these hybrids if he wanted to stay alive, and we wanted to take the corpse of the dead one with us. He reacted strongly when it came to the last part. He didn't want his dead daughter in the hands of her murderers, but he soon realized that he didn't have a choice. He surrendered her body to us and promised that he would keep from creating another hybrid until he got the 'go-ahead' from us. I thought it was a bit strange that he wanted more of them when he already had five, but I would never understand the longing for children.

As we reorganized for our journey home, Aro took me aside. "Do not ever speak during a counsel, unless we say otherwise, again. Sulpicia saved you this time, but it can not be repeated. Do you understand me, Isabella?"

I nodded quickly, and Aro sighed. "You know how I feel for you. I don't want any harm to come to you, but I could barely keep my brother from demanding to hand out your punishment. You will still be punished when we have arrived in Volterra, but you should be grateful that Marcus and I will be the one handing it out." Aro left me and I shuddered at how close that had been. Caius favorite punishment was dismemberment, and images of stories that Felix and Demetri had told me flashed through my head. I had seen their scars myself.

I cleared my head of those thoughts and focused on the fact that we were on our way home, after almost seven months away, and I exhaled with relief. I was going home!

***~IV~***

"Did you hear about what they found out about that hybrid in the lab?" Demetri and I were walking through the corridors in the castle – heading toward the reception area were we had to be present for interviews for a new receptionist. Gianna never had her wish granted of becoming a vampire, but we couldn't just let her go with all of her knowledge, so she became the brothers' afternoon snack about thirty years back. We'd had another receptionist since then, but she'd had to face the same fate.

Demetri immediately gained my attention. I had been wondering about that hybrid since we came back four months ago. "No, did they find anything weird?" I was worried; I wouldn't deny that. If it turned out that these half-breeds could be a danger to us, it would be devastating if the information about them came out.

"Weird? Yes. Dangerous? Not so far." I exhaled with relief.

"So what did they find?" We had our own lab even further under the ground than we were at the moment. It was created simply so that we could test new things, and we learned something new all the time. This information we kept to ourselves, though. While other vampires out there might thirst for knowledge, they wouldn't be able to access it without our permission. Some things just had to be contained behind closed doors.

"Well, it's clear that they're nothing but half-human, half-vampires, nothing extra or special. They have vampire abilities to an extent, but their human side kind of evens all of it out a bit. Their cell-division is three times faster than humans, and while they do have our skin texture, the venom in their blood makes it possible for them to move around just like us."

"So they do have venom in their bodies then?"

"Yes, it's not exactly the same as ours, and no oral venom could be found, at least not on this one. If we ever get our hands on a male hybrid, we need to test if that's a trait that comes with gender or if it's random."

I nodded. I had wondered about that as well. Joham had a total of six children, one of them dead and one of a male gender, and only the boy was venomous. The chances of it being random were very slim, and I thought it had to be gender-related. It just made more sense to me.

"Maybe it has something to do with genetics," I mumbled to myself.

"What do you mean?" Demetri asked with a frown.

"Well, if it's gender-related, maybe it's because the father is a vampire and the mother a human. It's already in their parentage that the male give venom while the female doesn't."

"Maybe, but isn't genetics supposed to be very random? A boy can get treats from the mother and the daughter from the father?"

"Yes, but there are traits that's passed down from father to son that a daughter most likely won't inherit. Like male pattern baldness. And this is a new kind of genetics to us so who says that my theory is wrong?" I challenged him with a raised eyebrow, and he smiled at me.

"True." We reached the reception area, but we stopped in our tracks so that we could continue talking. I wanted to know everything he knew about the hybrids.

"Did they find anything else?"

"Yes, they did. You know how vampires have got twenty-five chromosomal pairs and humans twenty-three, right?"

"Yes."

"These have twenty-four."

"What will that mean?"

"They don't know yet. Hopefully it's only because of the clash between the different species."

"Hopefully."

"Their skin doesn't glitter the way ours does," Demetri continued.

"It doesn't? But I thought they had the same skin as we do."

"They do, to an extent. It's more of a glow for them, and it's very subtle so humans wouldn't detect it, and the hybrids would not have to stay inside on sunny days."

"I kind of envy them there. I miss the sun."

Demetri frowned. "You see the sun every day." He referred to the fact that I watched the sunrise and sunset every day from my window. I knew he would never fully understand. He'd been a vampire too long, and I guess I would feel the same way after a few centuries.

"I know, but it's a difference between watching it through your window and actually being outside. I haven't been outside during the day once in forty-six years. The last time was when we were in Seattle, chasing Victoria."

"You can still go outside. The forest is big, and humans don't usually go in there."

I sighed internally. "It's just the human in me, longing for the normalcy of walking down the street with other people without causing an accident."

"So it's actually the interaction with humans that you miss," Demetri stated. It wasn't a question, so his mind was already made up, and it was no use for me to explain exactly what I meant. No, I didn't miss interacting with humans because I'd left that world behind me a long time ago, but just the thought of being able to walk around in a city during the day without disturbing anyone was very appealing.

A weird fantasy entered my head as I saw a city in front of me that was populated only by vampires. The sun was high in the sky and everyone was glittering, but nobody cared because that was the norm there. Nobody had to hide during the day. Complete bliss.

I shook my head, forcing the thought out. That was just an absurd fantasy that would never come true. At least not as long as humans ruled the Earth, and I didn't think a planet ruled solely by vampires would exactly function. I'd seen the movie _Daybreakers_ after all, and even if humans were pretty far from the truth of the vampire nature, it was just something in that movie that made chills run down my spine. It wasn't a secret that vampires were ruled by their thirst, so a scenario like that was not impossible if vampires were to become the dominant species. As long as there were more humans than vampires on Earth, everything would be fine.

"Our oral venom is poisonous to them," Demetri said, and it took several seconds for me to pull out of my thoughts and focus on him again. I had heard what he said loud and clear, so I didn't have to ask him to repeat himself.

"In what way?"

"The same way a lethal injection affects a human. Hybrids need oxygen and their hearts are beating. Our venom stops the flow of oxygen to the heart and causes it to stop."

So they weren't complete immortals then. Vampires weren't either, but at least we didn't die if we were to get bitten during a battle. That showed a major weakness in the hybrids' biological structure, and I felt myself calm down further. With all their weaknesses, they were nowhere near dangerous to us, and they would never be able to overthrow us.

With this information I felt that I could go back to how everything was before the trip to South America. I could finally relax again.

I smiled at Demetri and we walked into the reception area together.

***~IV~***

_**1 year later** _

I felt slightly uncomfortable when I entered the throne room and found Sulpicia and Aro engaged in a passionate discussion. I should have heard them from the corridor, but my mind had been on other things, and I hadn't been paying any attention to my surroundings.

They looked up when I entered, and I hovered by the door, not sure if I should leave or stay. Both of their faces, however, lit up in smiles when they saw me, and Aro gestured for me to come forward. The smiles were full of parental adoration, and I felt warm inside when I saw that.

"Isabella! Come, we want to speak to you." I walked slowly up to them and knelt down on the floor.

"Isabella, stop that nonsense! Rise!" Sulpicia said, and I frowned, feeling very confused. Why shouldn't I kneel in front of my Master and Mistress? Aro had never complained before. I looked up at him, and he just smiled at his wife. Still, I did as I was told and straightened out.

"What did you want to speak to me about?" I asked.

Aro answered me. "Isabella, we want to begin by making it clear that this is going to be a very informal and personal conversation between the three of us. Understood?" No matter how informal this conversation may be, my Master would never be able to stop giving orders and directions. That was just the way it was. But I did nod to show that I completely understood. Aro wanted us to be Isabella, Aro, and Sulpicia. Not Master, Mistress, and guard. I could do that…for a while.

"Even though you haven't been with us for a very long time both my wife and I want you to know that you have meant a great deal to us, and we have always viewed you as more than just a guard. Especially my wife." Aro paused, and I was curious as to where he wanted to go with this. "She's become very fond of you, and she's told me on several occasions that she thinks I should relieve you from your guard duties."

A cold shiver went through my spine, and it felt as if someone was squeezing my heart into an unrecognizable lump. What did he mean? Was I getting fired? Was he throwing me out of his coven? I didn't understand. I thought I did well.

"Master…?" I couldn't be informal at the moment. I was too aghast. "Are you not pleased with me? Did I do something wrong?" My voice was tiny, and I sounded very much like a small child, which I could not deny I felt like at that moment.

I was even more shocked when both Aro and Sulpicia chuckled. What was so funny about all of this? "The other way around, Isabella," said Sulpicia. "We're very satisfied with what you've done for us, but we can't deny the fact that you mean so much more to us than any other guard. During your visits I've gotten to know you very well, and I realized a few years back that I've come to love you as if you were family."

"I love you as my family as well," I declared. "You're my only family!"

An unusual show of affection took place between Sulpicia and Aro as she leaned her head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her. "What we're trying to say, Isabella, is that we want you to join the Volturi on a full level. In a way that has never happened before, and we really hope you will accept," Aro said.

"Anything," I vowed. If Aro asked me to tear off my own arm, just for the sake of it, I would without hesitating. He was my Master, and almost my entire existence revolved around him and his family.

"We want you to join the Family as our daughter."

My mouth fell open slightly, and I mutely stared at Aro.

Even though I was a vampire, and I knew there was absolutely nothing wrong with my hearing, I was very certain I must have gotten that wrong. Either that or they were pulling a joke on me because there was no way they had just asked me that.

"You want me as your daughter?" This must be a dream, a strange vampire daydream. But at the same time, I had never wished for anything to be truer. "Do you really mean that?" My voice broke, and I felt that I was about to cry as emotion overtook me.

"Yes." No hesitation whatsoever. They really meant it. They _really_ meant it. I felt how my entire body started to shake as sobs racked through me. I looked up at them with eyes swimming with venom that would never fall from my eyes. I swallowed thickly before I spoke.

"Would it be okay if I hug you right now?" Never once in my forty-seven years with them had I hugged them, and I could see that my question surprised them. I was sure they weren't prepared for how I would like to express my gratitude, but that was how it was done in my time, and it was the only way I knew.

Sulpicia looked up at Aro for a second before she took a step forward and held out her arms in a sort of awkward position. But I did not care how awkward she was. I just stepped into her embrace and put my arms around her. After a few seconds I felt Aro put one hand on Sulpicia's shoulder and one on mine. We leaned away from each other, and I saw that Sulpicia's eyes were full of emotion. "I wouldn't want anything more than I would like to be your daughter," I told them, and they smiled at me.

In that moment, I felt complete happiness and bliss. I had never been more content with my life.

* * *

_**Portuguese** _ **–** _English_ _translations_

_**Minha linda criação!** _ _**Minha filha! –** _ _My beautiful creation! My daughter!_

_**O que você quer dizer com 'sua filha'? –** _ _What do you mean "your daughter"?_

_**Afastem-se de mim, seus monstros! Vocês mataram minha filha! Eu almadiçoo você e todo o seu bando! –** _ _Get away from me you monsters!_ _You've killed my daughter! I curse you and your entire coven!_

_**Qual o seu nome? –**_ _What's your name_?

_**Responda! –** _ _Answer me!_

_**Quem quer saber? –**_ _Who wants to know_?

_**Os Volturi. –** _ _The Volturi._

_**O que você quer de mim?**_ – _What do you want from me_?

_**Primeiro diga seu nome. –** _ _Your name first._

_**Papai! –** _ _Daddy!_

_**Chame elas aqui. –** _ _Call them over._

_**Chame. Elas. Aqui. –** _ _Call. Them. Over._

_**Eu estou bem aqui! –** _ _I'm right here!_

_**Papai! Por que você se afastou de nós? –** _ _Daddy!_ _Why did you run away from us?_

_**Quem são essas pessoas, pai? –** _ _Who are these people, Dad?_

_**Eu tenho um filho mas ele nunca se juntou a mim.**_ _ **Ele está com a tia no Brasil. –**_ _I have a son but he never joined me. He's with his aunt in Brazil_.

_**A tia?-** _ _His aunt?_

_**Sim, ele é o único dos meus filhos que pôde criar um outro vampiro. A irmã da mãe dele estava presente durante seu nascimento e ele mordeu ela**_ _.-_ _Yes, he's the only one of my children that could create another vampire. The sister of his mother was present during his birth and he bit her_.


	7. Chapter 7

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo.**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue.**

**The Swedish comes from me.**

**The chapter was beta'd by Project Team Beta.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 7**

_**2 years later** _

I just smiled, nodded, and shut my mouth as Heidi, Chelsea, and Renata told my family– _God_ _it_ _felt_ _good_ _to_ _say_ _that_ –what was absolutely necessary to have at my coronation ceremony.

Yes, a coronation ceremony was planned to take place in the upcoming year where I would be officially introduced to the rest of the vampire community as the newest addition to the royal family. I had protested against the whole thing at first; I didn't want to make a big production of it, but Aro had insisted that it was important. It was known that the Volturi family had grown, and all the vampires would like to meet their new princess, after all. When he called me their princess, I had internally rolled my eyes – I still kept my attitude at a minimum around Aro because it was too deeply rooted in me to be respectful toward him.

Another reason as to why I didn't want to have a ceremony was because all vampires would be invited. _All_ of them. Including the Cullens. I had voiced that to Aro and Sulpicia, and they first told me that they could just not invite them, but I told them that wouldn't work. The Cullens would show up anyway, or, at least, contact us and wonder why they hadn't receive an invitation along with every other vampire in the world. Aro then went on and told me that it had been five decades, and maybe it would all work out. I hoped he was right.

I could feel that hope in my entire body, how it rooted and grew. This would be the first time since I became a vampire that I would actually meet my mate. Would my feelings toward him be different once I actually saw him? I was still royally pissed at him for making such a huge decision without talking to me, believing that he did what was best for me, but I never stopped loving him. As mates, it was impossible to stop loving each other, even though my feelings weren't from an emotional level at the moment. My love for him was instinctual and primitive. I wasn't sure I would be able to handle feelings on another level yet.

During the last fifty years, I had thought of Edward quite a lot. I was always wondering what he was doing at the moment. If he ever regretted leaving me. Did he know that I was reported as missing by my parents? And if he did, how did he react when he found out? Or did he think that I was a sixty-eight year old woman with a husband and grandchildren by now? There were a lot of questions going through my head whenever I thought of him. Sometimes, I felt sad, but other times I was just angry. Those two emotions were at war with each other every time I thought of Edward.

"She needs a new dress. I personally think that she would look exquisite in eggplant purple, and it won't clash with red eyes. I know our designer would love to dress her in that color," Heidi went on. She had always been the most vocal out of the three women, but now it seemed like the prospect of a ceremony of this magnitude had caused the other two to speak up.

"Together, with a purple dress and her hair color, silver accessories would be the best. I have a pair of never worn silver heels. They are in her size," Chelsea said, but at that Aro stood up from his throne.

"No!" he said with a loud and clear voice. "Isabella will not wear anything borrowed."

"I might like the shoes." I tried with him, but he just shook his head.

"Nonsense! You'll find _new_ shoes that you like." And that was final. Image was _very_ important to Aro.

Heidi and Chelsea had tensed up when Aro raised his voice; they were not quite as used to it as Renata was, but they relaxed when he sat back down in his throne. "Master, I apologize for thinking so carelessly," Chelsea said and bowed her head.

"That's fine, my dear." Aro turned to Heidi. "Take Isabella to the designer and get him started on the dress."

"Yes, Master." During the meeting, I'd had my hand in Aro's the entire time, and before I left I squeezed his to show my appreciation. He smiled at me before he gave orders to the others as well.

"Chelsea, I want you to call a jeweler and tell him exactly what we're looking for. Diamond set: necklace, bracelet and ring."

I shook my head slightly and walked with Heidi out of the throne room. It was a quiet walk, and had I not been getting used to the change in behavior around me during the last two years, I would have been uncomfortable.

A lot of things had changed since Sulpicia and Aro "adopted" me. My room wasn't in the guard wing anymore, Caius did not look down at me as I was now almost like a niece to him – he had not been too excited about that at first, but accepted it eventually – Jane actually treated me with respect, and all the guards were very wary around me now. They knew that if they did anything I did not like, I had the authority to punish them. The only thing was that I still kind of thought of myself as one of them, and it made me sad that they didn't treat me the same anymore. Not even Felix and Demetri were completely at ease with me. They still tried, mostly because I'd told them that I missed their friendship, but it would just never be the same. I was one of their Mistress's now, and that changed everything.

I did not show how much all of that really hurt me though. It would only get my former best friends into trouble, and that was the last thing I wanted.

Another thing that had changed drastically was that Marcus and I actually started to build a relationship. When I was only a guard he couldn't care less about my past, but now he actually felt connected to me on some level. We both knew the feeling of losing a mate, even though his loss was much greater than my own. He said that I understood him, to an extent, in a way no one had ever done before, and it was the first time he could actually talk about his pain. This had caused a huge change in Marcus entire persona as he slowly started to heal. Everyone in the coven had been slightly shocked and surprised when Marcus started to show real interest in coven affairs.

It was really amazing what just talking about your pain could do for you.

***~IV~***

It was unbelievable how fast time went when you were a vampire. The year just flew by with all the planning for the ceremony, and before I knew it, there was only a week left and the first guests were about to arrive.

Almost all of the invited vampires had accepted, and I had been asked to try and keep my shield up and around the entire coven during the duration of the ceremony because you could never be completely safe with so many vampires in such a close proximity of each other. The vampires that had not accepted were a vampire in Mexico named Maria – we found out that was because she was in the middle of creating a newborn army, so Felix, Demetri, Alec and Jane went down to fix that – and Amun in Egypt. When Aro contacted him to see exactly why he declined, he'd said that he was training a new member of his coven, but it was very vague so I wasn't sure he was telling the whole truth. Aro said he'd make sure to check up on it once the celebrations were over. He knew that Amun kept something from him, and he did not like that. Joham and the Romanians – the vampire coven that ruled before the Volturi – had not even been invited. Joham because it was still essential to keep his children a secret and the Romanians out of obvious reasons.

When the acceptance letter from the Cullens arrived, my dead heart had made a small leap. It wasn't that I was excited. I was nervous. So nervous that had I been human, I would have been sweating bullets. In the letter, they had written that they would come on October 10th.

That was tomorrow.

The ceremony was on October 17th – exactly fifty years after I was bitten by Aro. At first it was decided that it would be on the 20th since that was the day I officially became one of the Volturi, but it somehow felt more symbolic to be on the day I had been bitten.

I sat stiff and still as a statue on Aro's throne in the throne room. I had my doubts that I would be able to handle seeing the Cullens tomorrow, but I did not want to disappoint Aro by presenting myself as weak. I'd known that the day I would meet the Cullens again would come eventually, but it did not make it easier knowing that day was here.

"Isabella! Relax. The first guests will arrive any minute, and we can't have you looking like that," Aro rebuked me.

I released the tension in my shoulders and back. "I'm sorry, Aro. I'm just nervous."

He patted me on the shoulder in a fatherly way and said that he understood, but I knew better than to keep my emotions so close to the surface. He was right of course. For forty-seven years I had been an emotionless Volturi guard on the outside, but for three years I had slowly let go of that. I needed to collect strength from that and not show exactly how I felt.

"Get ready," Aro said under his breath as we heard the elevator stop in the reception area and the first guests step out.

***~IV~***

I was in my room in front of my huge three way mirror, getting the last details fixed on my dress. It was a floor-length, chiffon dress in eggplant purple – Heidi had been right; the color looked stunning on me – with a plunging V-neckline, and an A-line skirt. It was absolutely beautiful, and I loved it.

"Tutto fatto," _All done,_ said the tailor behind me as he removed the last needle. "Assolutamente bella," _Absolutely beautiful,_ he mumbled under his breath, probably not intending for me to hear, but of course I did.

I giggled. "Grazie." _Thank you._ I smiled as big as I dared without showing my teeth. I did not want to scare the man that had helped me with my dress. He was only human so I had to take it easy. He looked slightly dazzled before he answered me.

"La mia mancanza di piacere." _My pleasure, Miss_. He packed up his things and left on slightly unsteady legs.

I turned left and right in front of the mirror, admiring how the dress flowed when I moved. I couldn't wait to show it to Aro. He had not been allowed to see it because I wanted it to be a surprise at the ceremony, so I'd been very careful with not letting him read my thoughts once since the dress started to take form. He had not liked that, but he was also delighted that I wanted to surprise him, so he let me be.

I heard Jane – she, Alec, Corin, and Renata were the only guards allowed in this wing – in the corridor outside of my room seconds before she knocked on my door. She opened it, but before that I had already changed out of the dress – Aro would no doubt see it in her mind if I didn't.

"They're here," she simply said, and I felt a surge go through my stomach. It was time. They were here, and there was no going back now. I had to face them right now.

"Is–is he with them?" I knew that he was, but I just had to ask.

"Yes. They're still above ground at the moment but on their way."

I swallowed thickly and thanked Jane. She nodded at me and left.

I took a few calming deep breaths and looked around the room. I wanted to make an impression on them – I wasn't going to deny that – so I tried to figure out what I would wear when they put their eyes on me for the first time. For once they would not realize it was me before they saw me because now they did not have my heartbeat or scent to go after.

I didn't want to overdo it but I didn't want to keep it too simple either; so I ended up with a royal blue dress made out of jersey fabric. It was knee-length, had three-quarter arms, and a plunging V-neckline. It was simple yet very beautiful on me. I finished it off with a braided skinny belt at my waist and Christian Louboutin sandals in silver. The style was definitely different from the Bella they used to know, but that was also the message I wanted to present. I had changed immensely, and not only on the outside, since they had last seen me. I wanted them to realize that at an early stage.

I kept my hair down, letting it fall in my natural waves down my back, and I skipped makeup altogether. It wasn't like I needed makeup anyway. I had a flawless complexion now.

Taking one last deep breath, I exited my room and joined my family in the throne room.

As soon as I entered, Aro opened up his arms for me so that he could hug me. I gratefully walked into his embrace – he had gotten better at the whole hugging thing. He knew how hard I thought this was and he supported me fully. I also felt Marcus put a hand on my shoulder and how he squeezed it encouragingly. I smiled at him and took my place behind the thrones, slightly in the shadows. Aro wanted me to make an entrance.

Minutes passed, and my hands were in tight fists. I was an immortal that had never had problem with my patience before, but now waiting was excruciating. How would they react? Surprised and shocked for sure.

I heard the elevator arrive, and I made sure my breathing was calm and controlled.

They exited the elevator and greeted the new receptionist, Bianca. I heard Carlisle's voice loud and clear, and my heart ached slightly. If I was already so affected by simply hearing Carlisle's voice, could I really handle seeing them? I _had_ to. I couldn't back down now. It was now or never.

Jane and Alec greeted them and started to show the way to the throne room. Their footsteps on the stone floor echoed in my head, and I had to close my eyes. I swallowed once, twice…three times before I opened my eyes again.

The big oak doors creaked open, and I stopped breathing altogether. I was glad that I was in the shadows because that gave me a clear view of them, but they would not be able to see me immediately since I was not the center of attention.

Jane and Alec entered first followed by Carlisle and Esme. I contained my gasp as I laid my vampire eyes on them for the first time. My memories of them were dim and muddy, but definitely not gone. I wasn't surprised that their looks would have such a huge impact on me. They had always been beautiful to me, but now when I could see everything, it was insane how much of their beauty that had been obscured by my human vision.

Looking at Carlisle, I felt the odd urge to blink as if I was looking straight at the sun. Had his hair always been that blonde? Esme looked lovelier than I remembered, and I saw the golden highlights in her hair – they had just blended together with the brown in my human eyes – that created her caramel hair color.

Behind Esme and Carlisle walked the others. I could see Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie's heads since they were so tall, but Edward and Alice were obscured from my view. I stopped myself from craning my neck in an attempt to see them. I didn't want to draw any attention to myself yet.

I could see Edward's bronze hair though, and my dead heart was squeezed painfully in my chest. He was right there. My mate was currently in the same room as me and he did not even know it.

Carlisle and Esme stopped right in front of the three thrones, and I cowered slightly deeper into the shadows. It felt weird to be this close to them. Alice walked around them and stood next to Esme. Jasper kept a strong hold on her hand while he let his eyes wander around the room. He probably felt my conflicting emotions and wondered where they were coming from. I was actually surprised that Alice had not had a vision about this meeting – she couldn't have had because none of them looked like they expected me to walk in any minute. Maybe she couldn't see me anymore.

That was when I saw him, Edward. He walked around Carlisle and stopped next to him. I felt the urge to whimper when I saw him. He was heart-achingly beautiful. My muddy human memories had not done him justice at all. His hair was still all over the place, and his features were still the same, but his eyes made him look different somehow. I couldn't put a finger on it, but I recognized that expression. I'd seen it before somewhere.

He had his eyes cast downward, but his neck was not bent so I could still see him clearly. I was so completely focused on him that I didn't even notice Emmett and Rosalie stand next to him. They all had the golden eyes I remembered, and I wrinkled my nose slightly when the reason behind that feature went through my mind. They were abnormal. That was why. They drank from animals. Ugh!

A fantasy entered my mind. I envisioned Edward with red eyes and I smiled at that. He would look so much more attractive with red eyes. He'd fed from humans before.

I blinked and the fantasy disappeared. What was I doing? I couldn't afford to think like that. It was probably an impossible future as I knew that Carlisle's philosophy was too deeply rooted in my mate for him to ever be able to change his diet. He had always told me how he hated himself during the time that he fed from humans, but I just couldn't understand why. Vampires drank human blood, and that was just the way it was. It was sad to know that my mate and I would never agree on that.

My head was way before the events of time though. He did not even know that I was actually here. And I was still angry at him. It was hard to shake that emotion away as that had been my fuel during the last fifty years. I didn't exactly want to shake it away either. I wanted to be angry at him. He deserved it after what he'd done to us. It was his entire fault because he had not even given me a chance to voice my opinion on the matter. No, he just took it into his own hands.

As my anger rose, I felt my shield pulse as it made itself ready to protect me. I did not need to get angry for me to control it anymore, but my shield was essentially controlled by my emotions so it wasn't unexpected for it to react like this.

All of this happened in the course of a few seconds. I was fully focused on Edward, but when Aro stood up to speak, I let him have my undivided attention out of sheer respect. It was hard though, not to let my eyes wander back to Edward.

"Carlisle, my old friend! How delightful to see you again. It has been too long." Aro walked up to Carlisle and took his hand.

Carlisle shook it even though he knew that Aro took it simply to read his thoughts. "Yes, Aro, to believe it's been almost three hundred years. Time does fly," Carlisle said politely. None of the Cullens paid me any attention. I took a chance by taking a small step forward. No reaction.

Aro smiled at Carlisle widely and nodded. "It sure does. And you've created quite the coven, haven't you, my old friend. You've told me about them over letters, but I'm dying to be introduced to them officially."

"Of course." Carlisle motioned towards Esme. "This is my wife, Esme."

Esme reached out her hand and Aro took it eagerly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Aro," she said.

"I'm charmed," Aro said and kissed her hand.

Carlisle continued and gestured toward his right side. "My children, Rosalie and her husband, Emmett; Edward." He turned toward his left after pointing at Edward. "Alice and her husband, Jasper." It did not go unnoticed by me that he introduced every one of them by emphasizing what kind of relationship they had instead of just saying that they were mates and that the others were his coven members. But then again, I did remember how I'd been told that they saw themselves as a family first and a coven second.

Aro shook each of their hands, saving Edward for last – he knew that he was a mind reader and wanted to save that moment. He stayed just slightly longer with Alice and Jasper, complimenting them for their gifts, telling them how intrigued he was, and that he wanted to know more later. When he and Edward connected hands, they stayed connected for a long times. It must have been a very powerful connection with Aro reading every thought Edward had ever had plus the thoughts he'd heard from others around him. Then it was Edward that read those thoughts from Aro, creating new thoughts in his head causing Aro to read even more and so on and so on. It was a never ending cycle.

For a short second, I saw how Edward tensed up and flinched several times, and I wondered what kind of memory caused that.

The Cullens were completely focused on Edward and Aro, and I was now right behind Marcus throne, still without being noticed. I felt vulnerable since I was now out of the shadows. As soon as they turned their eyes in my direction, they would see me.

Marcus turned his head slightly, and he let his hand touch mine. Once again he was encouraging me. I could do this.

After another few minutes, all of us were getting a bit uncomfortable as Aro's and Edward's connection was still intact. It looked like it would never be broken. But right at that moment, Aro raised his head and let go of Edward's hand. "That was absolutely fascinating." His tone was awed. I saw how Edward shrugged before meeting Aro's eyes completely.

It hit me then where I'd seen Edward's expression before. I'd seen it on Marcus, and I'd seen it on myself in the mirror. His eyes were empty of emotion. He was physically here, but nothing else. It hurt to see my mate like that, and it had been foolish of me to believe that he would have been completely unaffected by our separation. He probably felt it more strongly than I did since I was a human when our bond was severed, so my memories of him leaving weren't the clearest. His were crystal clear, though, as if it happened yesterday. And I could see how he wasn't coping with the pain at all. I had been able to keep my mind off the pain for lengths of time because of my duty toward my Masters, but he didn't have anything like that to take his mind off it. Sure, our kind was easily distracted, but the thoughts were always there in the back of the mind.

But he was here now. My mate was in the same room as me, and by seeing him, the ache deep within me had subsided. It wasn't gone as I was still physically detached from him, but I could actually look at him with my own eyes.

I took another hesitant step forward, and it did not go unnoticed this time. Jasper, who was the closest person to me and Marcus, turned his eyes away from Aro and Edward and put his eyes on me. It took him about a hundredth of a second to recognize me, and when he did, he gasped.

It had been so quiet, and his gasp – too quiet for a human to detect – echoed through the room. Every pair of eyes turned toward him before following his line of sight, landing on me.

All of the reactions were different. Alice's eyes widened, Esme's hand flew up to her mouth, Carlisle inhaled sharply, Emmett tensed up, and Rosalie's chin dropped to the ground. But it was Edward's reaction that I looked at the most. His eyes widened at the same time as his brows furrowed. His breathing quickened, nostrils flared, and his hands turned into tight fists. He was shaking his head infinitesimally, mouthing the word, _impossible,_ over and over again.

On the outside, I was completely emotionally detached. I probably looked stone cold, but inside a war was raging. My instincts told me to run up to my mate and touch whatever I could on him, my heart told me to run away and hide, and my mind told me to scream at him out of anger. It was almost dizzying.

I took another step forward, really coming out into the light, and becoming the center of attention.

"Ah, Isabella!" Aro said pleasantly, and turned his back to the Cullens to walk up to me. He put his hand between my shoulder blades.

"Aro," I simply greeted him, acting as if I just entered the room.

"Well, we might as well get the introductions over with," Aro continued and turned back to the Cullens, still with his hand on my back. "Isabella, this is one of my oldest friends, Carlisle and his _family._ " I nodded slightly. Aro gestured with his hand toward me. "And this is the reason for the ceremony. Let me introduce my daughter, Isabella," he said with such pride. Warmth spread through my limbs, and I smiled up him. I was thankful that he could get my mind elsewhere for a few seconds just so that I could collect myself even further. I looked up at him, worship shining in my eyes. "I believe you might know each other." Aro directed that toward the Cullens.

I heard my name in a broken whisper, and I turned to Edward. Our eyes met and were locked into each other. My voice was not weak when I answered him. "My name is not Bella," I said and paused for a second before continuing. "Not anymore."

I saw his knees tremble slightly as if he was struggling to keep upright, but I knew that wasn't true. A vampire never struggled physically unless it had anything to do with their thirst.

Hundreds of questions shone in the Cullens' eyes, and I realized that in this situation I was the one in charge. I was the one that knew everything while they were clueless. I could decide exactly how much I wanted them to know, so why should I be nervous? I was a Volturi, and so they could not harm me. In fifty years I'd experienced more than any of them, the exception might be Carlisle.

Empowered by that thought, my nerves disappeared altogether and that well-known anger took full residency in my body. No matter what excuses they came up with, it could never be justified what they did to me.

"Isabella, could you be so kind and show our guests their rooms," Aro said. Bella would have looked up at Aro in shock and begged him to be excused. Pleaded with him that she wouldn't be able to handle a situation where she was alone with them, but I just nodded and started to walk toward the door that led to the guest wing. I found myself wanting to be alone with them because they would never ask their questions in front of the brothers.

And sure enough, as soon as the door to the throne room closed behind us, Alice spoke up with the million dollar question. "Bella, how is this possible?" I did not answer her though. I'd told them loud and clear out there that my name was not Bella, so why would I respond to the nickname? I just kept on walking in silence, looking forward all the time.

"Bella, please talk to us," Alice pleaded. That tone would have made me feel guilty before. It did nothing to me now. These people were not my family anymore. The only one that I had any kind of relationship with was Edward, and he was currently walking quietly right behind me. I felt his presence and his breath on my neck. He was _so_ close.

The only thing I shared with the others was a broken past.

Since I still didn't answer, Alice tried again, but when she started to say "Bella," I snapped. Without turning around, I spoke up. "I thought I made myself clear out there. My name is not _Bella._ "

"You'll always be Bella to us," she tried, and I stopped in my tracks and turned around. I wondered for a brief second exactly what they thought of my red eyes.

"No, I won't," I said. "The Bella you knew is a sixty-eight-year-old lady that went missing fifty years ago. Her body was never found, but everyone knows that she's dead." I let my eyes wander, and I locked them with Edward's as I said the last part. "Bella Swan died fifty years ago in the forests of Forks out of a broken heart." Edward recoiled as if I'd slapped him.

"I'm so-" he started.

"Do not apologize. Your mistake helped me find myself, and I never want to go back to who I was." I directed my next words to all of them. "Before I was weak and blinded by the attention you gave to plain old me. I fully accepted your dominance and the need to control my life so that it would please you. But I'm not your puppet anymore. _Bella_ doesn't exist." Alice buried her face in her hands and started to sob tearlessly. This caused Jasper to react defensively, and he growled at me. I responded instinctivly, but my growl was more primitive and raw, and it caused all of them take a step back. They did not want to challenge me. I knew things that they could only dream of knowing.

"Bel-" I snapped my eyes toward Edward, and he quickly corrected himself. "Isabella, you have to know that I did it to protect you. I still love you," he said, passion lighting up his eyes. His expression wasn't empty anymore. It was ferocious, determined.

"I know," I said, and his face showed hope. "You are my mate, Edward, and I'm very aware of that. We belong together, are _destined_ to be together, and instinctively, I want to be with you more than anything else."

"But…?" he asked.

"But you broke me, Edward. My love for you does exist, but it's not the same as it used to be. Now, it's my mate I love, and not you." I did not wait for his reaction before turning around and continuing forward. I gestured toward their separate chambers, Edward was the only one that got a single room, and wished them a pleasant stay in Volterra.

Back in my own chamber, I let my legs dangle out of the window. I looked down at the ground, so far below me, and thought of what had just happened. Yes, I had acted like a cold-hearted bitch, but I wasn't going to sugarcoat anything when it came to the Cullens. That wasn't the way I did things.

I knew that Edward and I had to talk things through. As my mate, I wanted him to know everything, but I couldn't just accept him back into my life. We were too different now for that to work. One of us would have to change, and I did not want that to be me.

I needed to get out of here. I needed to think for myself, far away from the Cullens. They'd been here for less than half an hour and I already felt suffocated. With the help of my hands, I pushed away from the window and let myself fall to the ground. I easily landed on my feet and started to run, and while I ran, I thought everything through.

I didn't like that they affected me in this way because no matter how much I had changed, as soon as I laid my eyes on any of them, memories resurfaced and the human in me longed after her family. But it was just that. They were _her_ family. Not mine, and they would never be. I had my family in Aro, Sulpicia, Marcus, and the guard. Even in Caius and Athenodora, though they were a smaller part of it. I was a part of them, they were a part of me, and I would never _ever_ leave them behind. Not even for love. A love that, for the moment, was almost non-existent on an emotional level.

What exactly was I supposed to do with my situation?

I decided that I would think more about this after the ceremony. The Cullens weren't my only guests, and this entire ceremony was a way for Aro to show that the Volturi was still very much intact, and stronger than ever, so no one better try anything. We needed to present the perfect image, and for that to happen, I needed to be collected. I turned around and ran back to Volterra. With the help of a tree, I climbed through my window and landed in my room.

I needed to change my clothes. The dress I put on earlier had gotten destroyed during my run and my shoes were muddy. The next set of guests – the Scandinavian covens – would arrive any minute, and I was welcoming the distraction. I needed to get my mind off the Cullens and continue like I would have even if they weren't under the same roof as me.

***~IV~***

The day for the ceremony was here, and I was getting ready in front of my mirror.

My hair was down in curly ringlets , and I had my dress on. The accessories for the occasion were chosen by Aro himself. They were made out of eighteen carat white gold and clear-cut diamonds. From far away they looked simple, tasteful, and elegant; perfect for the occasion. The outfit was completed with silver sandal heels from Jimmy Choo.

I was ready for my ceremony, and I studied my reflection for a second before exiting my room. I thought I looked beautiful, and I hoped all the others would think that as well. I heard voices from the throne room below, the guest of honor always showed up last, and I hurried up my step. I was actually excited. It wasn't often that vampires came together like this, and I was sure things would happen tonight.

By the door to the throne room, Jane stood in an emerald green dress. I had never seen her without her cloak, and it was weird to see her so dressed up. For a moment, I saw the twelve year old girl in front of me instead of the professional, and slightly sadistic, Volturi guard. Then she opened her mouth and she was just Jane again. "They're all waiting for you inside."

"Thank you, Jane." She opened the door for me, and I entered the throne room.

It was like walking straight into a fairytale. Soft music played in the packed room, and everyone was dressed in beautiful clothes, some of them, the nomads especially, looked pretty uncomfortable in their clothes. They preferred to stay by the walls instead of mingling around with the others.

The ones most comfortable were my family, of course, the Cullens, the Irish coven – containing: Siobhan, the leader, Liam, her mate, and Maggie – and the Asian coven – containing: Ryu, the leader, Sakura, his mate, and Mei, Sakura's little sister. These were completely at ease. I was a little shocked when I saw the Denali coven cower by a wall, since they were "vegetarians" and all, but then I realized that it wasn't the setting that made them tense. It was the location.

I had learned the story in the same wave as I learned about the immortal children. Tanya, Katarina and Irina's creator had created an immortal child and was executed with him a long time ago. Since then, the sisters didn't exactly like us, but they did respect us and the law we presented.

Eleazar and Carmen looked totally at ease though. I wondered if Eleazar saw Volterra as a sort of home. He was a part of the guard for a very long time after all, longer than I had been with them, and I already saw this as my home. I saw how Aro held a conversation with his old guard, and I heard how he tried to persuade him into coming back and that his mate, of course, would be welcome as well. Eleazar declined Aro with a laugh.

It had been a slightly awkward moment when the Denali coven first arrived, and I had to explain why I'd lied about my name the first time we met, but they had accepted it after a while. Although, Irina had given Laurent a very dirty look.

One of the mated couples from Sweden walked up to me, Sara and Lars. They had been so excited when they realized I had actually been studying their language and that I could communicate with them in Swedish. Felix, who stood by the double doors when the Swedes arrived, had shrugged when I gave him a pointed look that said: "I told you so."

And he thought it was enough to speak English with them.

"Vad vacker du är, Isabella! Den där färgen är underbar på dig!" _You're so beautiful, Isabella! That color is lovely on you!_ Sara gushed. Physically she looked sixteen, but in real life, she was created in the late seventeenth century, still she definitely acted her physical age. She was a bubbly girl, and I kind of liked her. She was a bit too much, but I could take it for a few days.

"Tack så mycket, Sara. Jag hoppas att ni har det trevligt." _Thank you so much, Sara. I hope you're having a good time._ My Swedish still contained an accent, but I could at least speak the language, so I was pleased and as were Sara, Lars, Fredrik and Karin. Fredrik and Karin was the other mated couple from Sweden.

Lars, Sara's mate, was the total opposite of her. He was a brooding man that looked to be around his thirties. When I asked him what his physical age was, he said that he didn't remember. It was too long ago that he celebrated a birthday. He was changed approximately a hundred years before Sara. He had quite the gift as well. I never even thought it was possible for a gift like that, but he was living proof. Lars had a mental gift, so it did not work on me, but he could hypnotize anyone he wanted. It wasn't like mind manipulation the way Renata did, but it was like real hypnosis. He could make a person do anything he wanted and they had to do it for as long as he wanted them to do it. A very powerful gift.

And he wasn't the only one with a powerful gift around here. There was a total of twenty-six gifted vampires in this room. Eleven from my coven, three from the Cullens, two from the Denali coven, two from the Irish coven, one from the Amazon coven, one from the Scandinavian coven, two from the Asian coven, three nomads from Europe, and one nomad from Australia.

The most intriguing gifts, according to me, were without a doubt Mei from China, Ryu from Japan, Jade from Australia, and Anastasiya from Russia. Mei was the only gift of those four that acted mentally – she could erase memories, any memories, and kind of delete them – but the others gifts would affect me just as much as it would anyone. Ryu could physically freeze anyone and as many as he would like; Jade was telekinetic, which meant that she could move physical objects; and Anastasiya was pyrokinetic – I had instinctively taken a step back from her when I heard that. Vampires weren't too fond of fire. Especially not when it was beyond their own control.

I had asked Aro why he never recruited any of these vampires, since they were so powerful and could be really useful. He had answered sadly that he'd tried several times, but they just weren't interested to his chagrin.

As I walked around the room, I greeted as many of the vampires I could – never had it been so good to have photographic memory since I did not embarrass myself by forgetting anybody's name – and scanned my surroundings. It was interesting to see vampires that had never met before interact. An American nomad named Garrett was talking to Katarina from Denali, and they looked quite cozy. Well, it shouldn't be a surprise if vampires found mates tonight. We were from all over the world and not everybody had met each other before.

Jasper was talking to a mated nomad couple – Peter and Charlotte – that he knew from before. That female vampire down in Mexico, Maria – we executed her because of her creation of a newborn army – apparently was their creator. I had not even known that Jasper had been involved with the southern wars, but then again, I had not known a lot about Jasper period.

Ever since I entered the room, I had felt Edward's eyes on me. It had both been comforting and slightly annoying. I knew that he was looking at me because he was nervous having me around this many vampires. He still had that overprotective trait when it came to me, and I hated that he still thought of me as weak. If he only knew that I was a far more skilled fighter than him, and if something did happen, I could take care of myself just fine.

I turned in the direction I felt his eyes burn into my back, and what I saw made me see red and think, _mine!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo!**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue!**

**Chapter was beta'd by Project Team Beta.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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**CHAPTER 8**

_How dare she?!_

_Her hand_ was actually touching Edward's arm, and it was not in a sisterly or friendly way. She was smiling widely at him, clearly flirting and trying to gain his attention. Edward had his entire focus on me, but I was still livid seeing that hand on _my_ mate. That was completely unacceptable no matter how long Edward and I had been separated.

I knew that Tanya was an unmated succubus and that she preferred human men, but it was obvious she wanted Edward. _Hell_ _no!_ I strode forward, ready to stake my claim. I was the only one who had _any_ right whatsoever to claim Edward as mine, and if this _slut_ put up a fight, she would regret it for the rest of her shortened life. Flirting with someone else's mate was one of the most dangerous things you could do. It was just below _threatening_ someone else's mate, and Tanya was very aware of the fact that Edward and I were mated.

Edward saw me coming toward them, and he immediately straightened up from the wall he'd been leaning on to take a step forward. Tanya snapped her eyes in my direction and narrowed them. Once I reached them, I stood as close to Edward as I could without crawling on top of him. My arm was touching his entire side, and his hand had automatically settled on my lower back. It felt as if I'd gotten electrocuted when he touched me, and I realized that this was the first time in fifty years that we'd had physical contact. I did not show it, though. I was making a statement for Tanya to _back off._

She was intelligent enough to not give me any attitude. She actually smiled at me – I didn't care if it was as false as silicone implants. "Isabella, it's a very enjoyable feast you've arranged here."

I did not smile back at her. "Thank you, Tanya. What were you two talking about before I came over?" Tanya's smile faltered. She knew that she made a huge misstep and she was feeling nervous.

"Nothing of importance–just memories from the past." She fruitlessly tried to keep her cheery facade. "Well, I gotta go." She hurried off, but I did not release her from my gaze, and I was sure she felt it burn her back.

"Tanya's just a friend," Edward said behind me, and I turned around to face him – his hand fell away from my back.

"It doesn't justify what she did. She's unmated, and she was clearly flirting with you. Even she knew that what she did was wrong."

"Why are you reacting so strongly to this? You don't even want me." His expression was very sad, and I could hear in his voice that he actually believed what he said. Not a second passed after those words left his mouth before I had my hand on his chest, pushing him up against the wall.

"You're my mate, Edward, and that makes you untouchable by anyone that's not me. And also–" I leaned closer to him than I'd ever been and tilted my head up so I could whisper close to his ear. "I _never_ saidthatIdidn't _want_ you _._ " I felt him shiver beneath my hand, but before he could do anything, I took a step back. New feelings had developed inside me during the week that the Cullens had been here. Possessiveness was the overwhelming feeling–it was expected that I would feel that way for my mate–but the feeling of lust was also strong.

The only other time that I felt that way was when I was thirsty, but I had learned to control that desire after a few years, and this was different. This wasn't _just_ lust. This was lust for my mate, and I had heard from the guard how strong that feeling could get once you let it grow.

Emotional love had not factored into the equation yet. At the moment, that feeling was deeply buried and wouldn't resurface for a long time. I needed to build up my trust in him first for that to happen, and I had no idea how to do that. Edward was only here for this ceremony, and I wasn't sure if he would stay when his family left in three days.

A melody I did not recognize started playing throughout the room, and when Edward's gaze intensified, I knew what he would ask. "Dance with me?" He offered me his hand, and I swallowed thickly before I accepted. Edward led me out to the middle of the room where a few other couples were dancing as well. He spun me around before he put his hand on my waist.

This was so different compared to when we danced at our school prom. Then I'd been ungraceful with a broken leg. I'd even had to stand on his feet to be able to move. Now that I was just as graceful as him, dancing was no effort at all. I could see that Edward really enjoyed it.

It was amazing how in tune with each other we were. Just by shifting his weight a tiny bit, I knew exactly where he wanted me to go, and we never took our eyes off on another. It was a very intense moment, and I never wanted it to end. He turned me around so that he was pressed against my back, and he tilted his head slightly so that his mouth was incredibly close to my ear.

I could not name the feelings that went through me at that moment, but I knew that I had never known such strong feelings before. It was heavenly to have him this close to me. I was so overwhelmed by it all that had I been human, I would have cried. I wished I'd known that this was the way I would feel once I was in Edward's arms again. Had I known this, I wouldn't have tried so hard to keep us apart. I regretted that now.

Edward spun me around again so that we were face to face. My right hand landed over his silent heart. We stopped dancing altogether and just stood there. He placed his hand over mine and let go of my other hand so that he could touch my cheek. My eyes closed automatically, and I leaned into his touch. Until that moment, I had not realized how much I'd actually missed him. He was my other half. Without him, I would never feel complete.

Even though my eyes were closed, I felt when Edward leaned in to kiss me. That was too much for me, though, and I quickly let go of him, taking a step back. He bowed his head and apologized. I could not make an excuse for him by shaking my head and telling him that I was fine because I wasn't. I couldn't handle the romantic setting of it all, and I felt unable to respond to his apology.

For one endless second, we stood like that, three feet apart with him staring down at the floor and me looking at him, but we were interrupted by Aro demanding everyone's attention. He asked me to come up to him, and when I was close enough, he grabbed my hand. He kept our hands entwined and turned us to face the crowd.

"Isabella came to us when she was still human. She told us that she knew about our world. That she wanted to live in it because it was where she belonged. We happily obliged, and she became one of us. For several decades, she has served us as our guard, but my wife, who sadly could not join us tonight, became very attached to her. She told me that she had always wanted a daughter like Isabella and begged me to take her into the family. I could not say no, and today I am very pleased with that decision. Isabella is exactly what I would have wanted in a daughter, and I welcome her fully into the family tonight with all of you as my witnesses." The crowd politely clapped their hands.

When Aro reached into his pocket, I glanced curiously at his closed hand. When he opened it, I saw that he held my crest necklace in his hand. I'd taken it off for the night because it wouldn't work with the diamond necklace I had on, but otherwise, it was always around my neck. Aro handed it to me and told me to turn it over. On the backside, there was an engraving that had not been there before.

_**A mia bella figlia, Isabella.** _

_**Il benvenuto alla famiglia.** _

Meaning: _To my beautiful daughter, Isabella. Welcome to the family._

Venom filled my eyes, and I closed them to soothe the stinging. It was so symbolic for Aro to take my old crest and engrave it with that text. For me, it meant that I had always been a part of his coven, but now I was also a part of his family. I wanted him to put it on me in front of everyone, so I gave the crest back to him and took off my diamond necklace. He smiled as he pulled the chain over my head. The tip of the V rested at the top of my cleavage.

The crowd clapped again, and the music started up anew.

During the rest of the night, I walked around and talked to most of the guests. They all congratulated me, complimented me on my looks, and they all wanted to know more about the story behind my joining the Volturi. On those questions, I always kept my answers vague because it wasn't really their business. They didn't need to know those things about me, so why should I answer?

The Cullens didn't approach me once, and I guess that it had to do with the fact that they did not know how to act around me anymore. But I could see that Alice, Carlisle, and Esme wanted to. Emmett looked at me unhappily while Rosalie and Jasper ignored me as best as they could. I did not care if they thought poorly of my decisions. It was my life and my choices, and they had nothing to say concerning either of those things.

Gradually, vampires excused themselves and said that it was time for them to travel back home. Most of the vampires that came tonight arrived this morning and stayed only for the ceremony. Only a handful had extended their stay.

Once all the guests that were traveling home tonight had left, the Cullens, the Irish coven, and the nomads from Australia were the ones that remained. Carmen and Eleazar were staying as well because Eleazar wanted to catch up with a few members of the guard. The rest of the Denali coven left as soon as possible.

Since we were so few by then, Aro had ordered Heidi to hunt for the guests so that we could drink together in celebration. As soon as the Cullens, Carmen, and Eleazar heard that, they excused themselves to their rooms. Edward hesitated slightly by the door, looking over his shoulder at me. His eyes were shining with the desire to bring me with him and away from the humans that would soon enter the room. It was the first time I saw how much he actually disliked the fact that I wasn't a 'vegetarian.'

Eventually, he left and closed the door behind him. I heard how he took off at a run toward his room because the humans had just entered and he did not want to hear us killing them.

It was only a human for us each, so it was a small group. I immediately saw that Heidi had picked one up just for me. In the back was a man in his early thirties, athletic and healthy. His blood smelled incredibly clean, and my mouth started to water.

As soon as I got into feeding mode, everything else faded away, and I focused completely on my prey. The man saw me looking at him and he winked at me. It was the first time someone was confident enough to actually flirt, and it amused me. I sauntered up to the man and circled him once, never breaking my eye contact with him.

Once in front of him again, he leaned down to kiss me. Any other time I would have let him, but something prevented me from doing it this time. I leaned away from him and shook my head slowly with a smile.

"Ah ah ah…Patience," I told him, and the man licked his lips. He put a hand on my waist, and I grabbed it to take it away from me. It occurred to me exactly why I didn't want physical contact with this man. It was not his touch that I craved. The touch I wanted was within my reach, though, because Edward was here, in Volterra, just down the corridor.

Red-hot lust flared up in me, and I knew that this time I wouldn't be able to contain myself. I rushed through the killing of the man, and without excusing myself, I headed toward the guest wing. Nothing could stop me in my track now. My mind was settled.

I did not hesitate outside of Edward's door. As soon as he opened it, I threw myself at him, locking my arms around his neck and attaching my mouth to his. The air hummed around us, and I had a vague memory of feeling like this before in a dark classroom, a white screen the only source of light.

Edward had automatically taken a step back into the room when I threw myself at him, and his hands instinctively ended up on my waist. He was totally taken back by my sudden change of mind, and his lips were unmoving. I wasn't having any of that, though. I opened my mouth and licked his lips. Edward exhaled in a gust, opening his mouth to me, and I took the opportunity to insert my tongue. I moaned at the taste of him. It was completely different from what I remembered as a human, and his taste definitely competed with the taste of blood.

His tongue hesitantly met mine before he, too, moaned. I realized then that I probably tasted of human blood, something Edward had not tasted since he saved me from James. It was probably very overwhelming for him.

He took another taste by sucking on my tongue, and suddenly he wasn't so unresponsive anymore. One of his hands closed the door to his room, and he pushed me up against it. The skirt of my dress was wide enough for me to wrap my legs around his hips and lock them together by my ankles. The position caused us to come closer together, and I felt his arousal between my legs. I had never been this close to Edward before because he had always been so careful with me when I was human, but nothing could stop us now. I felt how I became very aroused myself–I could even smell it in the air.

And so could Edward. His hands had moved from my waist to the backs of my legs, and when he breathed in through his nose, they tightened into fists, grabbing my dress and bunching it up in his hands. A soft growl came from his chest, eliciting a whimpered from me.

I let my tongue circle his mouth before releasing his lips so that I could pay some attention to his neck. I let small kisses rain all over his shoulder and neck. When I reached his ear, I took his earlobe between my teeth and bit down gently.

"OhGod!" Edward mumbled and thrust his hips up.

" _Mm, Edward!_ " went through my mind, and suddenly Edward froze. He had his mouth in the crook of my neck, but he did not move. He was completely still, and I wondered what was wrong. I leaned back against the door to look at him and saw that his eyes were closed tight. Something was definitely wrong.

I pushed gently on his shoulders so that I could get back down to the ground. I slid down the length of his body–causing me to brush up against his erection–and he held back a groan. He did not meet my eyes, though, and he looked ashamed. I was just about to ask him why he stopped when I heard movement in the other rooms. I didn't want to have this conversation where others could hear, so I grabbed his hand.

"Let's go to my room. It will give us more privacy." I quietly led him through the castle, and once we were in my room, I closed the door and locked it. It wouldn't exactly stop anyone from coming in, but it was just the feeling of privacy that came with it that made me do it. Besides, my family would respect me enough to not knock down my door.

I turned toward Edward. He stood absolutely still in the same spot I'd left him. I walked up to him and took his hand again to play with his fingers. A memory of him playing my lullaby on his piano went through my head. "What were you thinking about before?" I asked him quietly.

Edward cleared his throat. "I'd rather not talk about that," he said, and I frowned.

"Why not?"

"Because it was unacceptable the way I treated you back there. You deserve respect and worship."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "I wasn't exactly complaining, _and_ it was _I_ that threw myself at _you._ Not the other way around."

"I didn't stop you." His voice was apologetic.

"And I didn't want you to."

Finally, Edward raised his eyes from the floor and looked at me. "I'm so sorry, Isabella. I just snapped when I tasted you. It became too much for me." He was clearly not listening to me. He acted exactly the way he used to when I was human. I felt anger rise in me, and I pushed him down onto my bed and straddled him to keep him from trying to escape. He needed to learn that he couldn't get away from me as easily anymore. Now he _had_ to listen to me. His eyes widened at our position, and I could see that he was slightly uncomfortable. I didn't care, though. He would stay put and listen.

"It's about time you listen to me, Edward Cullen." I leaned forward against my hands that I had placed on either side of his head, effectively trapping him. "I'm not the same fragile little girl that you used to know. I'm a woman now, and I make my own decisions. My decision tonight was to have sex with my mate." He swallowed thickly when I said "sex." It proved to him how much I'd actually changed. Bella would have stuttered and blushed as she tried to hide her face while I, on the other hand, looked him steadily in the eye without hesitating. His golden eyes darkened, and the lust awakened in me again. But I had to continue. I finally had his full attention, and I was going to take advantage of that and tell him exactly how I felt.

"You robbed me of making my own decision once, and that hurt me more than you can imagine. When you decided to leave without asking for my opinion, thinking that what you did was best for me, you made me feel like the smallest, most insignificant person in the world." I straightened my back and placed both of my hands on his chest. I needed to create some kind of space between us because this was hard for me. I had never really talked about this because I didn't want to hurt unnecessarily, but it was about time it all came out. "You underestimated my feelings big time. You _knew_ how much being equals meant to me, and still you made yourself superior by taking the choice away from me. If you only knew how much I've _hated_ you for that." Edward flinched underneath me and closed his eyes.

"No, look at me," I demanded, and he opened his eyes again. They were filled with sadness and regret. "I've already told you that I want to be with you and that I love you as my mate, but I know that you need me to love you as a person, as Edward. It's going to be hard for me to build up my trust in you again, and for that to even begin, I need you to trust _me._ Trust that I can make decisions for myself and that they are right for me. Do you think that you can do that?"

There. I'd told him how I felt. Now it was up to him. He looked me deeply in the eyes for a few seconds before he grabbed one of my hands and kissed my knuckles. "I trust that you know what you're doing," he said quietly, and a knot I had not realized I had in my chest was dissolved. I immediately felt so much lighter.

Edward continued kissing my knuckles, and the sensation shot through me in pleasant waves. I was reminded of my lust again, and our position was very promising. I leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "What do you say about continuing where we left off?"

Edward groaned before he answered me. "You have no idea how much I'd want that, but…"

" _But_ …?" Why was there a "but?" That word shouldn't be there, and I straightened up again to see if he was actually serious. Sadly he was, and I climbed off him to create more space between us.

"Bella." I couldn't believe that I still had to correct him, and when he saw my look, he held up his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Isabella, you know that I'm from a different time. I was raised to do things right, and the right thing in my time would be to wait til after marriage."

My chin dropped to the ground in shock. Was he for real? "You've got to be kidding, Edward. That was over a hundred and fifty years ago," I exclaimed and threw my hands up in the air. "And you're talking about marriage now? We can barely handle being together as it is with our differences, and you want to _wait_ until we're _married_?" Was he crazy?

"Please, Isabella. Try to see it the way that I do," he pleaded with me.

"No, I can't. I know you're old-fashioned, Edward, but that's just insane."

"Why exactly?" I knew he was hurt, but couldn't he see the problem?

"Edward, your family leaves in three days, and then you have to make a decision as to whether you'll leave with them or stay here with me. If you leave, who knows how long it will be before we meet again, and I know staying here would be difficult for you with the lifestyle I have chosen. All of this would mean that the progress of our relationship is going to be very slow, and I know I won't be ready to marry you in…" I tried to come up with a realistic number. "Another fifty to sixty years. Time means something entirely different to you than it does to me, and it's just not logical to wait when we only have three days before we have to make some hard decisions." An emotion I could not read went over his face before his expression became emotionless. I narrowed my eyes. "What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing," he mumbled.

"Edward," I said sternly, and he sighed.

"I guess I just assumed that you would come back to America with us," he said and shrugged.

I jumped off the bed and stood so that I was in front of him but not as close as I had been. "Are you serious? Were you even planning on asking me?"

He cleared his throat and looked at his fingers that were playing with my comforter. "Not really."

"Edward! What did we just talk about? You have to stop making decisions for me," I shouted at him.

Edward's eyes snapped up to mine, and I could see that he was angry now as well. "I didn't think of it like that. I was thinking of what would be best for _us._ "

"And you think that would be with your _family_? The group of people that are judging me the _most_ because of my choices. They think my choices are _mistakes_. To them, I'm someone that's been led astray but can be fixed."

"That's not true!"

"Don't lie to me, Edward! I can see it in their eyes," I said through clenched teeth.

"Well, are they wrong?" My dead heart broke when he asked that. He'd just promised me that he trusted me to know what was best for me, and he was still questioning me.

I tilted my head to the side. "Is that what you think?" I wasn't shouting anymore, but the anger in my voice was very obvious.

Edward scrubbed his face with his hands. "I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I'm totally okay with your lifestyle. You know how we feel about preserving human life, and _you_ used to feel the same way."

I couldn't look at him anymore, so I walked up to my window and gazed outside. My fingers dug into the stone as I tried to channel my anger toward something that wasn't Edward. "You have to stop comparing me to the way I used to be, Edward. This is who I am now, and if you don't accept that, this relationship will never work."

For several minutes, neither of us said anything. Only our breathing was audible, but then Edward came up behind me and wound his arms around my waist. "I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in," he said. "I want to get to know you again, I really do, but you should know that both of us will have to change a little. We can't be together with so many differences between us." He was right of course; I knew that even if I did not like it. I didn't like it one bit.

But I wanted to give him something for at least trying. We both had our issues that we needed to work through, but I didn't want to taint our three short days with that. I wanted for us to just enjoy each other's company for once and not have the weight of everything on our shoulders.

I knew exactly what to give him. It was something that only I could give.

Gently I lifted my shield and thought, _"I'm sorry too, Edward."_ He'd been looking at me, so he knew that I wasn't saying this out loud. His expression when he realized that he could actually hear my thoughts was priceless. His chin dropped slightly, his eyes widened, and his grip on my waist loosened.

"Was that for real?" he whispered out the question with awe coloring his tone.

" _What do you think?"_ His breathing increased, and he crashed his mouth onto mine, pushing his tongue between my lips so that I would open up.

He leaned back after a short while and stroked my cheeks with both of his hands. "God, I love you so much. I know you don't feel the same way yet, but that was amazing, Isabella. _You_ are amazing. Thank you." He kissed me again, and this time, he did not stop. The urgency to claim was back, and the lust slammed right into me like a freight train. It was interesting how the mood could change so drastically between us in the course of a few seconds.

Edward kissed his way down to my neck and nibbled on my collarbone. " _Uh!_ Edward, _please_ don't stop this time." I moaned out breathlessly.

"Isabella, I–" he started to say against my skin, but I interrupted him with my thoughts.

" _Just make me yours, Edward!"_ I knew it was kind of foul to play on his primal needs to claim his mate, but I didn't care. I wanted him, and I was going to have him. _"I want you so much!"_

Just like earlier tonight in his room, he growled, but it was not so soft this time. It was raw and primitive and _so_ _arousing._ Without missing a beat, Edward carried me to my bed to put me down on my back with him hovering above me. I spread my legs so that he was in-between them. I immediately felt his erection against my core.

I guess that I should have felt nervous because this would be my first time and technically I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but my nerves were non-existent. I was completely calm because I knew that this was what I wanted. I would have absolutely no regrets. I was sure that no matter what I did, Edward would find pleasure in that and vice versa, for the fact was that Edward knew just as much as me, but it would work out because we were compatible.

Edward's hands slid slowly, and slightly hesitantly, up my waist, and when his thumbs brushed against my breasts, I gasped at the sensations it evoked in me. My hands – that had been locked behind his neck – grabbed the collar of his tuxedo jacket and peeled it off him. He was still not letting go of his control completely, but he helped me to take the jacket off and throw it somewhere in the room. I wasn't exactly paying attention to where.

My dress was held up by a bow at my neck, and Edward gently untied it and pulled it down to my waist, exposing the strapless bra I had on underneath. He had never seen me in this state of undress before, and he stopped for half a second to just take it all in.

Slowly, as if giving me the chance to stop him, he leaned down and kissed a spot in the valley between my breasts. It was such an intimate feeling, having his mouth on my skin, and I started to squirm slightly when he got the courage to make a trail of wet kisses down my torso. He stopped for a second by my belly button and dipped his tongue into it but continued down while he pulled my dress all the way off me. I was only in my underwear at this point so the remaining barriers between us were only on his body now. That was not acceptable.

I wanted to see more of him. I had only seen his bare chest a few times while I was human, and it was during those rare sunny days when we would stay in his meadow and he would let the sun rays dance on his skin. The memories were too hazy for me to really remember anything, though. All I recalled was that I thought he was beautiful, and I was eager to see how enhanced his features would be now that I could actually see, compared to when I was human.

Too impatient to take it slow, I grabbed his shirt and tore it apart, making buttons fly everywhere. Edward's chest was toned and perfectly muscular. Not too much, but he wasn't exactly lanky either. He was perfection. I reciprocated what he did to me and placed a wet kiss in the middle of his chest, and he groaned loudly. He locked his eyes with mine for a moment and I could actually see when he let go of his control completely. He transformed right in front of my eyes.

His shirt was already ruined, and while he impatiently tore it off the rest of the way, I started with his pants. They had the same fate as the shirt and were soon thrown across the room. Only in our underwear, we crawled so that we were in the middle of the bed. His weight was supported on his arms that he had placed on either side of my head. His eyes were black with lust–I was pretty sure mine were as well–as he looked down at me with pure need. It was almost dizzying seeing him like that because he was not Edward at that moment. He was solely my mate, and I shivered in pleasure.

He slowly bent his elbows and put his mouth on the swell of my breast. My crest was resting close to him, and when he focused on it, he narrowed his eyes. He grabbed it in his hand and pulled it off me. "For the moment you belong to me and no one else," he growled out possessively. I shivered again and smiled up at him.

"Whatever you say." My voice was rough and husky. He focused back on me.

My bra had a front clasp, and as the cups fell away, exposing my naked breasts to Edward for the first time, I heard him purr. That was new! I had never heard him purr before, but it was sexy as hell. One of Edward's hands came up to cup my breast; his thumb gently stroked the nipple. I moaned embarrassingly loud, and I let my nails claw their way down his back to settle on his behind. I squeezed slightly, and Edward growled again.

It was about time we hurried up the foreplay and got to the actual sex. I was impatient and I wanted him inside of me. I wanted him to claim me, to be connected with him in a way no one else had ever been, so I pulled down his boxers in one quick, fluid movement. His erection sprang free, and I looked at it hungrily. I wanted to touch and taste it, but we would have time for that later. I was just about to pull down my panties as well when Edward stopped me. "I'm the only one allowed to unwrap you," he said and pulled my hands away. He put them above my head, and I grabbed the headboard as I waited for him to 'unwrap me' as he'd called it.

Edward leaned down and started to pull down my panties with his teeth. The entire time, his black eyes looked intensely into mine. Halfway down the panties ripped, and Edward removed them impatiently. He put his hands on my knees and spread my legs wide so that he could settle in between them. I still had my hands above me, and I let him do whatever he wanted. I wanted him to be in charge.

He lined himself up with my entrance, but then he stopped. He was panting, and it looked like he was still unsure if we should really do this.

I let go of the headboard with one of my hands and directed his head so that he was looking straight at me. "I want this Edward and I don't want it to be gentle," I said and then finished with a thought. _"I want you to lose all of your control. Claim me."_

Edward crashed his mouth down on mine and with a quick and hard thrust, completely seathed himself within me. We both moaned at the overwhelming feeling.

It did not hurt but I did accidentally bend the headboard out of sheer pleasure. "Edward! So good!"

Edward hissed out my name before he grabbed my legs and put his arms under my knees. This caused him to go even deeper, and I shifted my hips to accommodate the new position.

It was fast and raw as Edward pounded into me with a force that would have broken me had I been human. I was very glad that Edward had always stopped when I'd tried to go further with our make-out sessions before. Had we had sex when I was human, he would have had to hold back and always be careful so that he wouldn't hurt me. I couldn't imagine being deprived of the glorious vision in front of me – of seeing Edward lose himself in the emotions so completely and really let go. He had never been more beautiful.

A very pleasurable tightening had started deep in my stomach, and I could feel how my lower muscles were clenching around him. His thrusting increased in speed before he stilled completely and roared. I felt him spill his seed inside before he leaned forward and bit down hard on my neck. I moaned in both pain and pleasure as I felt his venom sting in the wound created by his teeth. And I loved it. He had fully claimed me now. His mark on my neck would be forever visible for the world to see.

When we both had calmed down, he rolled off me onto his back, and I curled up to his side. "That was amazing," I said and placed my hand over his heart.

"Quite an understatement," he breathed out before turning his head toward me. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Oh _please,_ Edward," I said and left it at that. He couldn't hurt me even if he wanted to…not physically at least. But I knocked that thought away and concentrated on the moment. This was everything I'd ever wanted it to be with Edward, perfect and easy as breathing. I never wanted this moment to end, and I dreaded the day when he would have to make those difficult and complicated choices that would change everything.


	9. Chapter 9

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo.**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue.**

**Chapter was beta'd by Project Team Beta.**

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

We had not left the bed once since the night of the ceremony, and I didn't think either of us had any clue whatsoever what day it was.

Aro had knocked on my door once, but when he realized that Edward was in there with me, he didn't bother us again. This was our bonding period, and we needed to be alone. Besides, I didn't exactly have any duties I had to attend to. I was one of those giving orders now, so I had given myself a small vacation.

At the moment, I was lying on top of Edward, my ear against his chest as I let him read my thoughts. Through them, I told him about my life here in Volterra and what I'd been up to – although I was very careful to keep confidential information in the dark.

When I told him about Victoria, his upper lip had curled up to expose his teeth. He then told me that, during that first year, he had tried to track Victoria, so he could kill her himself, but his tracking skills were not the best. He had lost her trail and ended up in South America. After that, he'd searched the world for her but couldn't pick up her scent anywhere. He had even gone to such lengths as circling around Forks–terrified the entire time that he would run into me–to see if he could find her, but it was all to no avail since she was already dead by our hands.

He'd had absolutely no idea that I was reported missing by Charlie and Renée, and that was why he'd been so shocked when he saw me at his family's arrival, not a day older than when he left fifty years earlier. He had been so convinced that I'd moved on with my life. Gone to college, maybe even gotten married and had kids. That thought was the only one keeping him from breaking his promise. He didn't want to jeopardize my potential happiness by coming to look for me.

" _I only stayed in Forks for a month after you left, and the entire time, I knew something was missing, and it wasn't only you. I missed your world. My heart told me that I wasn't supposed to live the normal, mundane life of a simple human. I didn't belong in that world. Every night I dreamed of the time you told me about my family, and in the end, I decided to seek them out to see if this was the path I was supposed to take. I hadn't planned the trip at all so I made several mistakes. I was literally fumbling around in the dark. Heidi found me walking around the streets, looking lost, and she brought me in. It was first intended for me to be one of their meals, but that changed when Aro realized that I was not affected by their gifts."_

"So you started out as one in his collection?" Dislike colored his tone, and I had to calm down a bit so that I didn't snap at him. He had no right to judge my father figure because he did not know Aro. He only knew what he'd heard from other vampires, and that was not fair.

" _His interest in my gifts was what made him stop, but it was my willingness to join his coven that made him decide. He knew that even if Chelsea couldn't tie me to the coven, I would be loyal to them, and that's something Aro puts a lot of value in. If there's something he can't stand, it's disloyalty. That's the ultimate crime for him."_

"It's so strange hearing you think about Aro in this way. I've only ever heard how ruthless he can be and that he should not be provoked."

" _It's all about perspective. Aro and his family are the only family I've known for fifty years. They practically raised me after my transformation and taught me everything I know. I'm forever grateful for that. Nothing could ever break my bond with them."_

I heard Edward swallow, and I immediately knew what he was thinking. _"I'm sorry to admit it, Edward, but at the moment, if it came between you and my family, I would choose them."_

"Yes, I realize that, and it pains me that I hurt you so deeply for that outcome to be possible. The bond between mates is supposed to be stronger than any other bond. Ours obviously isn't."

" _Not yet."_

He looked down at me and stared into my eyes. "I still love you, though. You're everything to me." I smiled at him and craned my neck to kiss him.

Since that first time, we never stopped with just a kiss, and as I said, we never left the bed. We explored each other's bodies for hours on end and learned what the other got pleasure from.

I found out that Edward liked it quite a lot when I put my mouth on him, but only if he was lying down. He never wanted me on my knees as he thought that was degrading, and I should never kneel in front of anyone. The irony of that was that I'd knelt quite a lot in front of my family before I became one of them, but I didn't tell him that because it would only upset him.

Time had absolutely no meaning when I was with him, but as it passed, I felt how I both physically and mentally became so in tune with Edward that when he left, I wouldn't only feel half, but empty, and that scared me. I never thought that I would become so dependent on him.

It was dark outside my window, indicating that it was night, and we were completely quiet. My shield was back in place, and I think that, for once, Edward thought it was peaceful to be alone with his thoughts, for he sighed contentedly as he stroked my arm up and down.

"I don't want you to go," I whispered out into the violet tinted room, and I felt his arm tighten around me.

"I don't want to go either," he said, and hope awoke in me without my permission. "But you know I can't stay here. I don't belong here." I turned my head and buried my nose in his chest, inhaling his scent deep into my lungs – imprinting it to my memory. "I wish you would consider coming back with me," he continued, and my hand tightened into a fist.

I shook my head slowly back and forth. "I don't think you really understand what would happen if I just packed up and left."

Edward put a finger underneath my chin and tilted my head up so that he could see my eyes. "Then help me understand."

I studied his golden eyes deeply, trying to see if maybe this information would be too much for him. That he might not handle it well. I prayed that he would understand. I lifted my shield. _"Is anyone listening?"_

He frowned at my question before concentrating on the thoughts around him. "They're in hearing distance, but they're not focused on us," he answered.

" _I'm going to tell you something that I haven't told anyone before, and I need you to stay quiet. If you absolutely need to say something, just write it down, okay?"_

He nodded slowly.

" _The reason behind Marcus behavior is because his mate was killed centuries ago, and he never got over it. Her name was Didyme, and she was Aro's biological sister."_ I looked at him to see if he was following me. _"When I first found out about her, I didn't think too much about the story behind her death, but I soon noticed that every time she was mentioned, her death was described the same by everyone, like a well-rehearsed monologue. It was as if no one had actually been present. I thought that was very strange since she was supposedly killed in a battle."_

Edward leaned away from me and searched in my nightstand for a second before coming back with a notepad and pen. _**Supposedly?**_ he wrote in an elegant script.

I closed my eyes before I continued. _"I found out over time that when she lived, she and Marcus were planning on leaving Volterra and the coven. They wanted to live their own life, somewhere away from Aro. Aro did not like it, but he said that he was giving them his blessing to go. Days later, Didyme was dead, and Marcus stayed here."_ I opened my eyes and looked down at the pad where I heard that Edward had written something else.

_**What are you implying?** _

I took a deep breath to gain some strength. It was hard to reveal my suspicions as it felt as if I was betraying my family by doing so, but I had to get it out. It had been eating at me for so many years now. _"As I said, disloyalty is the ultimate crime in Aro's eyes, and Marcus had vowed to stay by Aro's side forever and Didyme was his sister, but by planning their departure, he felt that they betrayed him and he couldn't stand it."_ I looked up into Edward's eyes. _"I believe that Aro could have killed Didyme."_

Edward's eyes widened, and he started to furiously write on the pad. _**What!? And you still want to stay? How can you want to stay with him if you think he would be capable of murdering his own sister? It doesn't make any sense, Isabella! Who's to say that he wouldn't do it again if it was necessary in his eyes? What if you're next?! What will you do then? I've already lived without you for fifty years, and I don't want to lose you again!**_

He was still writing, but I felt that I had to stop him, so I put my hand over the one that held the pen and squeezed. _"Don't you see? That's exactly the point. Had I still only been a part of the guard, it would have been different. Just look at Eleazar. He was allowed to leave because he was only a guard. I'm now considered Aro's adopted daughter. Someone he trusted enough to let inside the inner circle – something that's_ never _happened before. If I decided to leave with you, it would be Marcus and Didyme all over again, but it wouldn't be me that mysteriously died."_ I gave him a pointed look to make him understand.

_**But it sounds like you've had these suspicions for a very long time, so why exactly did you accept the request of becoming his daughter then? Don't you see, Isabella? This man is dangerous!** _

" _I don't have any proof, Edward. They're just theories. I might be wrong, and because they're just theories, I haven't let them plague my view of him as a person. He's never been anything but caring toward me, and I respect him immensely. I served him loyally for forty-seven years before I became his daughter, and he never acted suspiciously around me. I've never thought that he's doing foul things behind everyone's backs._ If _he killed Didyme, I believe he must have had a greater and justified motive behind it."_

_**You can't justify murder.**_ Edward wrote, and I suddenly found myself becoming defensive. I wished that I hadn't opened my heart to Edward like that. It was clearly a mistake, but I thought he would understand.

" _You mean murder like when you killed James?"_ I asked him. He had killed before as well, and only a few hours earlier, he told me how much he'd wanted to kill Victoria. Still, he had the nerve to judge Aro?

"That was different, Isabella!" He abandoned the pen and paper so that he could speak out loud. I didn't really care because we'd moved past the more dangerous topics anyway. The whole ordeal with James wasn't exactly a secret either.

" _How? How exactly was that different?"_ I challenged, and Edward rose from the bed so that he could walk freely around the room. I did not let myself get distracted by the fact that he was still very much naked.

"He threatened you! He was going to kill you! It was either him or you!"

" _And who's to say that Aro's motive wasn't the same, huh?"_

"James wasn't innocent. He'd killed thousands of times before."

My shield snapped back around my mind, and I jumped from the bed to stand in front of Edward. "So it all comes back to our diet again. James had killed thousands of _humans_ before because that was how he survived. Sure, he was a bit like a cat who liked to play with his food before eating it, but big news flash to you, Edward, we've all done that! I'm not exactly defending him, but I can say that I understand him to an extent."

He pursed his lips in dislike and looked down at me. Did he seriously think that he was superior to me just because he happened to have an ounce more restraint than I did? Because he hunted animals instead of going with a normal diet? "Don't look at me like that, Edward." My voice was calm, indicating that I was way too furious to scream and he should definitely watch out.

"I don't look at you in a certain way," he said coldly.

"Yes, you do. You have the same look as your family. You're judging me." I think it was about time he learned exactly how many humans _I'd_ killed throughout the years. "Do you know how many I've killed during my time as a vampire?" He narrowed his eyes before shaking his head. I could see that he didn't want to know this because it would taint the perfect picture he'd painted of me. It didn't matter how many times I tried to tell him that he had to erase the old Isabella from his memory; she would always be there, and he would always compare me to her. "The exact number of _humans_ I've killed is 1437. Add to that all the vampires I've killed because they've broken the law. I've played on the fear and attraction for me from 1239 of those humans. The rest got a quick death because I was too thirsty." Edward turned away from me and leaned on his arm against my wall.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked the wall.

"Because you need to know what you're getting yourself into. I'm not someone that you'll be able to reverse. I've killed too much, and I enjoy the taste of human blood. I'm not _interested_ in changing my diet, Edward. I'm sorry, but that's the harsh truth."

He did not answer me, but his hand tightened into a fist against the wall. I continued, "You can't deny the fact that you like it as well," I said. "When I kissed you that first time, you got a small taste, and by your reaction, you loved it."

"I've never denied that," he mumbled. I walked up to him and started to stroke his back.

"You're denying your true nature," I said softly.

"I don't want to be a monster." His voice had dropped in volume and wasn't above a whisper now.

"If feeding from humans makes you a monster, then I am one as well." He flinched at that and turned around.

"You could never be a monster, Isabella," he said.

"So it's only when you or others kill that turns you into monsters, but when I do it, it's fine? That doesn't exactly seem fair, don't you think?"

He was quiet then, and I took the opportunity to tell him exactly how I–along with the rest of the vampire community–saw it. "I know exactly how you feel about killing humans, Edward. You've told me numerous times, but one thing that you haven't considered is _why_ you feel that way. It's because of Carlisle. It's all because of Carlisle."

"What do you–?"

"Don't you see? When you told me about your 'rebellious' period, there was something that stuck out to me. You told me how Carlisle let you go because he knew that you needed to find your own way, and that he would never judge you no matter what life you chose. But that's just it–it was reverse psychology. By telling you that he wouldn't judge you, he planted something inside you, and it grew with every human you killed. You always had his words in the back of your head because you knew that even if he did not judge you, he would always feel disappointed in you, and that was something you couldn't stand. It all comes back to Carlisle. It's his philosophy you're living your life after, not your own. Do you think you would have stopped killing humans and viewed yourself as a monster if Carlisle had just been quiet or even if you left in the middle of the night without saying goodbye?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but I wasn't finished. "No, you wouldn't, but you would have always felt guilty for doing it. It would have felt as if you hurt your family by doing so. And why would you feel guilty? Because of the humanity you're clinging to. Don't you think it's about time you accept the fact that you're _not_ human anymore? You even told me in the forest, even if it was a lie, that you're tired of acting like something you're not. You're not human. You always live in a secluded part of town so that you can be yourself. Why? Because you're not human."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to keep your humanity. It keeps us civilized." His argument was weak, and I could see that he wanted to cling to his–no _Carlisle's–_ beliefs because it was all that he knew.

"You see how we live here. Just because we feed on humans doesn't automatically make us into savages. We're civilized and you know it. We might drink human blood, but we also have great respect for the human race. We don't see ourselves as superior to them, except physically, because we know that without them, we wouldn't survive. Just like a farmer has respect for his cow before he slaughters it so that he can eat dinner. It works the same way, Edward."

He hesitated. "I don't know…"

"You only feel that way because you've only seen the backside of this lifestyle. You think that either you feed on animals or you're a complete savage like the one that attacked Carlisle and created him. That's not true, Edward, and you know it. Deep inside, you know this. You wouldn't have wanted to try this lifestyle for two years if you thought it was all wrong."

I turned away from him and walked into my closet to get dressed. I think we both needed some space to absorb everything that went down between us, so no more sex for a while. Dressed and presentable once again, I walked out into my room and saw that Edward was still standing where I left him, just as naked as before. I started to collect his clothes that were scattered around the room, and I hung up my dress at the same time. I gave him the clothes, and he took them from me with robotic movements and got dressed. There was no emotion behind the action.

When he was in clothed, I put my hands on his face and made him look at me. His eyes were glazed over, but I wanted to have his full attention for a few seconds, so I kissed his still lips. He focused back on me. "I want you to think all of this through. Really think about it before you decide. The decision is all up to you. I'm staying here because this is where I belong. If you decide to go back to America, I'm not coming with you." I gave him one last kiss before I pushed him out my door. I stayed there with my hand on the handle as I tried to not think of the pain it would cause me if Edward left with his family. It would certainly not be painless.

*~IV~*

I did not know how long I stayed like that, but eventually someone knocked on my door. I hoped it was Edward, so I wrenched the door open, but it was only Renata.

"Aro asked me to come get you. The Cullens are leaving now," she said and walked away. _What?_ _They were leaving?_ _Now?_ _Had it already been three days?_ _Was my time with Edward up?_ I started to run, and when I burst inside the throne room, Aro looked at me disapprovingly. I lowered my gaze to the floor and walked up to him. The Cullens weren't here, but I still looked around to make sure. My searching gaze landed on Aro.

"They already left," he said. _What?_ "He was with them." That empty feeling crashed into me with full force. _He left with them?_ _Without saying goodbye?_ _How could he?_ _I thought we'd left that kind of behavior behind us._ "I'm sorry."

My knees gave way, and I stared unseeingly at the wall. I didn't understand. It didn't feel right. _No, something was wrong._ _Edward wouldn't leave me like that after the days we'd just spent together, would he?_ _Was it my fault?_ _Had I pushed him too hard by telling him what I thought about his diet?_ _Or was it when I talked about killing?_ _What was it that made him leave without saying goodbye?_

My eyes filled with venom, and I looked up at Aro. He was holding a letter in his hand that he was offering to me. "He left this for you." The envelope was addressed to me in his elegant script. I accepted the letter and left without a word. I needed to be alone.

I sat in my window with the letter in my hand until the sun started to rise. I was afraid to open it and read what it said, but I needed to know.

_**Isabella,** _

_**I'm so sorry, love, to leave you like this, but right now it feels like I don't have a choice.** _

_**I wanted to say goodbye, but I knew that if I did, I wouldn't be able to leave, and as you said, I need to think everything through. Even if I'm going back to America with my family on the same plane, I'm not going back with them to their home. Yes, I wrote 'their home' because I just left my home. You are my home, Isabella, and I hope that I will come home one day.** _

_**I love you so much, and please don't take this as a farewell. We will see each other again, and I will write you as often as I can. It's a shame you don't have a phone because it would have been easier to call, but I guess we both get something to look forward too now when we wait for each other's letters.** _

_**Since I will be traveling around a lot, I'm going to write my new address at the bottom of every letter I send to you.** _

_**I want you to remember every time that you feel lonely that I love you, and that's never going to change. Not in a million years. My love is forever.** _

_**Don't be too sad. This is not like last time, and it won't be another fifty years until we meet again, I assure you of that. You just gave me a lot to think about, and you were telling the truth when you said that I was being influenced by all the thoughts around me. I don't want that anymore. I want to find myself.** _

_**I really hope that you will understand, and I will understand in return if you're angry with me when we meet. Just keep in mind that I love you.** _

_**Yours forever,** _

_**Edward** _

I didn't really know how to react after I read that. A lot of different emotions went through me in the course of a few seconds. The most dominant feelings were sadness and anger, but also relief. That he left because he needed to think was actually a justified reason, and it meant that he didn't choose his family over me. I guess that was a bit hypocritical of me since I'd told him loud and clear that had I needed to choose between my family and him, I would choose my family.

But that had only been a few hours after we had sex the first time, and I was still very unsure by then. Now, I was sure that it was Edward that I wanted, but I couldn't leave Volterra. I had pledged my loyalty to Aro, not once, but twice. It would just be downright disrespectful of me to leave him, and I couldn't do that. I really hoped that when Edward eventually found himself, he wouldn't ask me to leave because I don't think I would be able to handle that.

*~IV~*

**October 2055**

_**Dear Isabella,** _

_**I'm back in America, but instead of continuing to New York with the rest of them, I stayed in Chicago where our first flight took us. I thought it would be a good place to start since this is where I was born and raised.** _

_**I visited my parents' graves for the first time, and I told them about you. I'm sure they would have loved you if fate had been kind enough to let us be born in the same time period. You would have been everything my mother wanted for me.** _

_**I can almost imagine it, you know.** _

_**The fantasy has two different settings.** _

_**One of them is in my time. I would have worked at my father's office and educated myself to be a lawyer, just like him. I would have met you and instantly become infatuated with you. I would have asked for your father's blessing to court you and eventually presented you with a ring. Maybe a year or two after that, you would have been expecting our first child.** _

_**Everything would have been perfect as we built a life together.** _

_**The other is in your time. We would have been high school sweethearts, and when we told our parents that we wanted to go to college together, they would have protested halfheartedly, thinking we were too young, but knowing we loved and would take care of each other. We would have gotten our degrees and started careers. Gotten married eventually, and after that maybe have kids. Maybe even a dog. Or do you prefer cats? I guess we never talked about stuff like that.** _

_**Do you think of me? I think about you every day, and I miss you so much. More now that I know exactly where to find you compared to before we met again and I had no idea where you were in the world.** _

_**I'll stay here in Chicago for another week or so before I continue on my trip. I'll wait for your reply letter, hoping that you're not too angry with me to reply.** _

_**I love you so much,** _

_**Edward** _

….

….

….

_**Dear Edward,** _

_**I think Chicago sounds like a good place to start, too. I bet your parents smiled down at you, wherever they are, when you visited their graves.** _ _**Maybe you'll finally feel some kind of closure now. I hope so.** _

_**Both those fantasies sound amazing, and I would have loved to live either life with you. Now that faith has dealt us this card, we'd better make the best of it and build the life we can from it. There will never be any children in that future, but maybe one day you'll be able to get that ring onto my finger. I'm already yours anyway.** _

_**Am I a dog or a cat person? Hm, I don't know. I never really wanted either. Maybe when I was a kid I wanted a dog, but I got a goldfish that I accidentally killed because I was incapable of taking care of animals. I had too much going on keeping track of Renée. If I had to choose now, though, I would say cat. They're so much more efficient than dogs. Give them food and somewhere to sleep and they'll just take care of themselves. Perfect!** _

_**Of course I think about you. Every minute of every day you are on my mind. Do you feel empty too? I don't just feel like I'm missing my other half–I feel empty. I guess it's a good thing that I don't know where you are all the time because I would just run to you the first chance I got, and then I would have to turn around when I remembered all of the reasons why we're separated in the first place.** _

_**I won't deny that I'm angry with you and that I was hurt, too, even if I understand why you left the way you did. I guess I was just hoping for a goodbye kiss to cherish.** _

_**My bed feels too big now that you're not here, and every time I look at it, I am reminded of our escapades, and I always smile fondly at those memories. Just so you know, when we meet again, you won't be leaving my bed for a week at least!** _

_**I love you too, more and more by each day.** _

_**Your Isabella** _

*~IV~*

**February 2056**

_**Dear Isabella,** _

_**After four months of being away from you, I'm starting to doubt that my decision to do this was so smart. Sure, I've been enlightened by a few things here and there, but it all pales in comparison to my need to be back in your arms.** _

_**I read your last letter so many times it fell apart. Your words are my only comfort.** _

_**At the moment, I'm in Europe, so I'm closer to you, but not close enough. I'm actually in France, but I avoided Paris as it's the most romantic city in the world, and I don't want to subject myself to that. Besides, I've already been to Paris once when I was alone, and the next time I see that city, I want you to be with me. We'll stand at the top of the Eiffel Tower, and I will kiss you so passionately that you'll forget your name. At least, I hope my kisses have that effect on you.** _

_**I think my family is trying to reach me, but I can't be sure because I don't provide them with the information about my whereabouts the way I do with you. They probably miss me, but this is about me. For the first time since I was a newborn, and during the time I was with you, I'm actually thinking about myself. It's an interesting feeling.** _

_**I'm counting how many days it's been since I've seen you. Hopefully, it won't be many more.** _

_**Love,** _

_**Edward** _

*~IV~*

**October 2056**

_**Dear Edward,** _

_**Your letters are what I'm living for. Every time I receive one, Aro tells me that my whole being lightens up, but that's not really a strange thing because that's how I feel. To know that I have a piece of you with me, a sheet of paper that was touched by your hands makes me feel closer to you.** _

_**I'm a bit sad that the letters travel too far for your scent to still be on them. I miss your scent. It always made me feel at home. Just like you said in your first letter, you are my home.** _

_**When are we meeting again? I'm sorry, I don't mean to push you to hurry up your trip, but it's been a year, and every day I think that maybe, just maybe, Edward will come today, and every day when the night falls, I get disappointed. I know that one day I won't be disappointed and you will be here in front of me.** _

_**Aro hates seeing me so miserable, but I just can't go on with my usual life as if nothing ever happened. He understands, of course. I mean, he is mated, too, and there is a reason why Sulpicia never leaves her tower except when it's time to eat. Because he's afraid he'll lose her.** _

_**My heart aches when I think of you as I miss you more every day. Please come back to me soon. Please come home!** _

_**I love you,** _

_**Isabella** _

*~IV~*

**April 2057**

_**Dear Edward,** _

_**You never replied to my last letter, and it's a big possibility that you'll never even get this letter since it's being sent to the same address as the last one.** _

_**Why didn't you reply? Did something happen? Are you okay? Did you go back to your family? Please, give me anything. When six months passed and I didn't receive a single word from you, I got worried.** _

_**Have you decided that you can't be with me? Is that it?** _

_**Please, I'm worried out of my mind, and if you by some possibility receive this letter, reply as soon as you can.** _

_**Your Isabella** _

*~IV~*

**October 2057**

_**Edward,** _

_**Something's happened, right? That's why you don't answer my letters. You said that you would write to me as often as you could, but I haven't received a single letter from you for an entire year. Please, tell me what's wrong.** _

_**Was it something I wrote in one of my letters? Did I upset you in some way? If I did, then you should talk to me instead of shutting me out. That is what it feels like. You're shutting me out. Something big has happened in your life, and now you don't want to tell me.** _

_**Do you know how close I've been to asking Demetri several times to track you down just so I can give you a piece of my mind after I've kissed the hell out of you? And do you know why I haven't done that yet? Because I respect your wishes too much. You said you needed to be alone to think, and I surely thought two years would be enough time.** _

_**My trust that you'll come back to me is starting to crumble. I'm starting to fear that you lied to me again. That you won't ever come back or that it** _ **will** _**be fifty years until we see each other again.** _

_**Everyone here is giving me a wide berth as I may snap at any time. I can feel it. I will snap soon, and I feel sorry for the person that will be subjected to my anger when I do. It will not be pretty.** _

_**Aro said that he's getting worried about me. He says that I've gotten less civilized in the last year. I'm not allowed in the throne room anymore, unless it's when we feed. I think he's starting to hate you. Maybe it's because my old hate for you is resurfacing, and he can feel it.** _

_**I thought that I actually meant something to you. And what about all that talk of how it pained you that our mating bond wasn't as strong as it should be? Well, obviously not, since you're ignoring my letters.** _

_**Edward, if you don't write me soon, I'll assume that you don't want me, which I know is absurd because we're mates and mates need each other.** _

_**Where the hell are you?** _

_**Just pick up a fucking pen and write! Now!** _

_**Isabella** _

*~IV~*

**January 2058**

I was sitting in my window, sobbing tearlessly, as I tried to write another letter to Edward. This was worse than the last time. Last time, I could cope because my feelings for him weren't as strong as they were now. I was completely useless now, and my shield had taken the hardest blow. I couldn't control it the way I could before. It was like I'd had no training at all. I couldn't even feel it anymore.

I had not changed my clothes in five months, and they were wrinkled and blood-stained. There were a few holes in them as well, but I just didn't have the energy to change.

My hair was in a messy braid that was full of twigs and other detritus. They'd gotten there after I tried to get my mind off Edward by running through the forest. It used to help me calm down, and it used to help me think clearly. I'd given up when I reached Florence and my every thought was still occupied by Edward.

I just couldn't believe that it had been fifteen months since I last got a letter from him. Something was wrong and I knew that. That I didn't ask Demetri for help now wasn't out of respect for Edward, but out of fear for what I would discover when we found him. Would he yell at me that I should have understood that it was over between us?

_No!_ _Something more serious was up._ I knew Edward wanted me and loved me. He had not stopped loving me for fifty years, so why would he change his mind now? That was just insecure little Bella talking, and she was not controlling me anymore.

But even if I knew this, it didn't stop me from crying over him. I missed him terribly, and my resolve to leave him be disappeared a little every day.

_Why should I give him space anyway?_ _He's been gone for almost two and a half years._

_No, this was the last straw!_ I would give him two more months. If I had not heard from him then, I would order Demetri to find him. I know he got quite the taste of Edward's mind when he was here, so it shouldn't be too hard.

Those two months passed very quickly, and still not a single word. It was time to find my mate!

But first I had to do something with my appearance. I let out my braid and stripped from my old clothes to take a shower and get all the twigs and leaves out of my hair. After that, I changed into a simple black button-up shirt and denim skirt.

With sneakers on, I was ready to find Demetri.

When I entered the throne room, everyone's eyes widened in surprise. They knew I was not allowed in there, and still, there I was. Aro studied me closely with narrowed eyes. He must have seen that I had gotten some of my sanity back for he did not comment on my disobedience.

Demetri was among them, and after I'd greeted Aro, I turned to him. "I want to find Edward. I know you can find him. Something's wrong, I can feel it, and it's time I do something about it."

Demetri cast a glance in Aro's direction to see if that would be okay with him. The fact still remained that even if I could give orders, Aro was the big boss and it was important to go through him. Aro looked at me for a few seconds before nodding toward Demetri.

"All right, let's go," he said, and together we ran outside and into the forest. It was night; I'd been careful about that because I knew that if I'd come down during the day, I would have had to wait for the night before we actually went anywhere.

It felt good to be on my way, to finally do something. I knew I would find Edward. Demetri was the best tracker there was – Aro did not settle for second best – so I had complete faith in him.

Demetri told me that it would be no use in following in Edward's footsteps. It had been too long since I heard from him last. So instead, Demetri said that if he was allowed to concentrate for a few moments, he would be able to pick out Edward's mind as soon as he determined which one of the _tastes_ was his. We stopped in the Alps, where Demetri sat down on the ground, closed his eyes, and sifted through all the different minds he had in his head.

After two hours, I got bored and decided to hunt. I even brought back someone for Demetri that I'd knocked on the head so that she was unconscious, but not dead. I wouldn't offer my worst a corpse to drink from–that was nasty.

"Got him!" Demetri's eyes snapped open, and I abandoned my meal that was only half-drained.

"Really?" I asked hopefully.

"Positive. Let's go." He did not even give the unconscious girl a glance before he started to run, and I was hot on his heels. _We were on Edward's trail!_ _We would find him!_ Not that I'd had any doubts, but still.

After about a day of running, we reached the ocean, and Demetri asked if I would have anything against swimming. I shook my head, and he dove right in.

We stayed underwater almost the entire way. Only now and then did we go up to the surface so that Demetri was sure we were on the right track. We reached land when the sun was high in the sky, so we hid in a cave that no human would be able to reach.

"Where are we?" I asked. It was the first thing we said in almost twenty-four hours.

"Rio," Demetri simply said as he played with a rock he was sculpting into something I could not yet determine.

"Rio? What would Edward be doing in Rio?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "But he's here. I can feel it."

"You mean like right now?"

"Yes, he's maybe not more than a mile or two away."

_Edward, I'm coming for you!_

I was pretty sure that I got on Demetri's nerves that day, but I just didn't care. Maybe he would understand after he had been separated from his future mate for two and a half years.

Finally, the sun went down and we climbed on the mountainside so our clothes wouldn't get wet again. In addition to being inconvenient, it would have drawn unwanted attention to us.

As soon as our feet touched the mainland, we sprang into a run again. I got more excited the longer we ran. I could almost feel Edward as well. Maybe I could. Maybe our bond was telling me that my mate was close, and it was elated that we would finally be together again.

Eventually we reached the ghetto part of Rio and I frowned. I just couldn't picture Edward in this environment. _What was he doing here?_ _What was his business here of all places?_

"He's up there." Demetri pointed toward the attic of an old rundown rental building that smelled like a sewer. As soon as the words left his mouth, I ran into the alley next to the building and jumped up on the roof. I easily found a window that led to the attic and broke it so that I could climb inside.

It smelled even worse inside, but I could also detect the smell that I'd been deprived of for two and a half years.

"Isabella?" I heard his voice and my silent heart leaped. _He was here!_ I turned around and took a startled step back at what I saw.


	10. Chapter 10

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo.**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue.**

**Chapter was beta'd by Project Team Beta**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 10**

"Edward! What happened to you?" I ran to my mate's side as he crouched in a fetal position in the darkest corner of the attic. He had his hands buried in his hair and his eyes closed, but it looked like he was relieved to have me there.

"Isabella! You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice!" I grabbed his arm and righted him up so that he was at least in a sitting position. I knelt before him, instinctively checking him for injuries even though it was absurd. There was something in the air around him that was off somehow and it worried me.

"Are you okay? What happened? Please, tell me if something's wrong! Please!" I was frantic. He still refused to look at me.

"I don't know how it happened," he whispered. "It just did and I couldn't control myself. I still can't control myself, and I'm scared. I don't know why I feel this way." I did not understand what he was trying to tell me. It didn't make any sense at all, but I could see the dark circles under his eyes, so I understood he was very thirsty.

"You need to hunt," I said softly and gently stroked his hair. It was matted down on the side he'd been lying on.

"No," he exclaimed and cowered away from me. I automatically retracted my hand, wondering what I did wrong.

"Edward?" He cowered even further into the wall. "Edward, look at me." He shook his head and closed his eyes even tighter. "Please? I haven't seen your eyes in so long. Please, don't deny me the simple pleasure of looking into my mate's eyes."

Edward held his knees to his chest as he buried his head in his arms. He shuddered before raising his head with his eyes still closed. Then he opened them very slowly and what I saw made me gasp.

His eyes were pitch black apart from a small rim around the iris that was crimson red.

Edward had been drinking from humans.

"When?" My question was a bit breathless. I'd been so prepared to see gold in his eyes, so to actually see the red was a bit of a shock.

"About a year back." It looked like he was ashamed to admit it, which I thought was weird. Demetri and I didn't exactly judge him.

Edward shifted slightly, and I understood that his thirst was making him incredibly uncomfortable. I didn't want him to feel that way, so I stood and walked up to Demetri. "Fix something for Edward to drink. Preferably human, but don't bring the body. Bring only the blood here, understood?" I only breathed out the order even though Edward was too far away to hear me. I didn't want to upset him further. Demetri nodded and disappeared through the window.

I went back to Edward and sat down next to him, taking his hand in mine. He must have found it very soothing because he soon relaxed. "How long has it been since you've hunted?" I asked.

Edward flinched. "I don't know…three days maybe." _Three_ days _?_ _And he was already this thirsty?_ It didn't exactly add up. He was over a hundred and fifty years old, but he was acting like a newborn, all jumpy and tense.

Something came to my mind then.

"For how long have you had to feed every third day?"

He shrugged. "Since the beginning, I guess. It's like being back in the newborn stage." _Exactly_. It was like he'd gone back, and technically he had. For almost two centuries, he denied his natural instincts and drank from animals. It gave him control, but as soon as he drank from a human, all of that restraint and control disappeared because drinking from humans and animals was a massive difference.

"Is that why you didn't answer my letters?" I had to know.

"I haven't been able to move among humans for a year without wanting to attack them, let alone post a letter." His voice was bitter. He was berating himself for being weak. I took his face in my hands and turned his head so that he was facing me.

"Listen to me, Edward. You are not weak, okay? You're just experiencing a small setback. What you've done is something that's never happened before. It's one thing to stop feeding on humans and go to animals, but a totally different thing to go from animals to humans. I think you may have gone into a frenzy of sorts, but it will pass. I'm sure of it."

"You don't know that." He closed his eyes again.

"It's true that I can't be sure, but there is one way." Edward looked at me skeptically. "Come back to Volterra with me. It'll be safer there because there are no humans in the castle unless we are feeding. We never really count Bianca and she knows to stay out of our way. I went through my newborn year there without a hitch."

"I want to come back with you, but what if I attack someone on the way there? I can't handle being on a plane."

"We didn't travel here by plane. We swam almost the entire way, and there are no humans out on the ocean so we'll be safe. Please, just come back with me, and we'll figure everything out once we're there."

Edward looked at me for a long moment and then his expression relaxed. "I don't know why I was so afraid of telling you about this. I guess I always believe people will judge me for my actions."

I stroked his cheek before cupping his face. "I'm not exactly in a place to judge you." I smiled and he smiled back.

"Would it be okay if I kissed you?" he asked, and my smile widened.

"You don't even have to ask," I said and leaned forward until our lips touched. It was heaven, and I was home. Our bond hummed in delight as our mouths started to move in synch with each other.

Suddenly, Edward tensed up, and I leaned away. He had his eyes focused on the window, and seconds later Demetri came through it. He was holding two big bottles that were filled to the brim with delicious smelling blood. It wasn't until then that I realized that I was quite thirsty myself, but I restrained myself. This was for Edward. He needed it more than me at the moment.

Demetri gave me the bottles, and I handed the first one to Edward after unscrewing the cork. I saw that he stopped breathing and tried to put distance between himself and the bottle. He still felt guilty for wanting to drink it, but I wasn't having any of that. "Drink it," I ordered and held the bottled under his nose. He swallowed hard and scrunched up his entire face. It looked like he was in pain. He probably was. Right then his thirst must have felt like an open flame in his throat. "Edward, just drink it." I didn't understand why he refused. He knew that I wouldn't judge him, so what was his problem now?

I sighed and dipped two of my fingers into the blood before I smeared it on my lips. I had to stop myself from licking it off before I leaned down to kiss him. He did not protest this time, eagerly sucking the blood from my lips. He moaned at the taste, and I could see how his instincts were slowly taking over. Once again, I dipped my fingers into the blood, but this time I put it on his lips. He licked it up even faster this time, and when I offered him the bottle again, he didn't hesitate at taking it from my hand and gulping the life-giving liquid down his throat.

He was in such hurry that some of the blood escaped the corner of his mouth and trickled down his chin and throat. I was mesmerized by the drop of blood, and I couldn't stop myself before I put my tongue on his throat and created a wet trail up to his jaw, not letting any blood go to waste. Edward threw the empty bottle across the attic and grabbed my waist so that he could pin me down under his body. His arousal pushed right into my center. I moaned out his name, and he did it again. Never had feeding felt as sexual as it did with Edward.

I reached for the second bottle and removed the cork with my teeth. I poured some of it into my mouth and grabbed Edward's head to pull it down to me. He inserted his tongue into my mouth, and I found out what my new favorite taste was. Blood and Edward, Mm!

One of Edward's hands disappeared from my waist and went to the fly of his jeans. Once he'd released himself from the confines of his pants, his hand went under my skirt and moved my panties to the side.

This was a new side of Edward that excited me a lot. Before, he'd always made sure that we took our time with each other making love, but this was different. He didn't feel like we had the time to take off our clothes. This was raw and instinctual need, even more so than that first time when he claimed me and marked my neck.

He teased me with his fingers, circling my entrance and ghosting over my clit, but he never used any pressure. I was so worked up and I needed to feel him inside me. It had been way too long since I felt the bliss of being connected with him.

" _Don't tease me!"_ I thought and Edward finally pressed his thumb down on my nub of nerves. I screamed out in ecstasy and arched my back.

Without warning, Edward entered me and my inner muscles squeezed him like a vice. "Uh, Isabella! Too long...won't last!" Edward grunted in my ear. I encircled my legs around his waist and hugged him tighter to me.

He finished not long after that and worked furiously with his fingers to bring me my release too.

After, he looked deep into my eyes, and I couldn't keep myself from thinking how much better he looked with red eyes than golden. This was the way he was supposed to be. He was gorgeous, and he was all mine.

I pulled him down to me and whispered one word in his ear. " _Mine!_ " He shuddered.

"All yours," he whispered and traced the scar he had left on my neck. "Just like you're mine."

"Always," I vowed.

I was sure Demetri had left us alone as soon as he realized what was going to happen, and I was very glad he did. I did not want to give him a show, and I was sure that Edward would not like it if Demetri saw more of me than he should. Even though Demetri was nothing more than a friend, he was still unmated.

Edward and I straightened our clothes and tried to make ourselves somewhat presentable. He helped me by combing my hair with his fingers, and it felt so good. "How long since you've spoken to your family?" I had to know if he'd kept contact with the Cullens while he 'ignored' me.

"I don't know. I _think_ my last conversation with them was when I was in France, but I'm not sure. Everything's just been kind of like a blur since…" He trailed off. He would come around eventually. He'd been feeding on humans for a year now, so he should get used to the idea soon. But then again, the last time he drank human blood for _two_ years and he still went back to Carlisle, mostly out of guilt than anything else, but still.

_But if his last conversation with his family was when he was in France, that meant he hadn't talked to them for over two years._ _Did that mean that his relationship with them had gotten worse?_ _Weren't they supporting him in his decision to go away on his own?_ _Was it me they disapproved of?_

"Did you ever talk to them about the diet change?" I asked carefully. I didn't want to upset him. His hands stilled in my hair, and he sighed.

"Yes, I did, and they were not happy. They asked what you could possibly have done, or said that would change my mind so drastically since I'm the one that's practiced Carlisle's philosophy the longest. They even went to such lengths as to question your love for me. They said that if you loved me enough you would be willing to change." I gritted my teeth in anger at that, but I did not interrupt. "I got angry and told them that once upon a time you were very willing to change for me, but I wouldn't allow it, so I thought it was my turn to make a few sacrifices." When he said that, I knew that I'd never felt like I did, in that moment, before. It was a wonderful feeling. It was kind of similar to the one I got when Aro praised me, but so much more powerful when the feeling was emitted from something Edward said. He finally understood exactly how I felt.

I turned around and locked my hand behind his neck. "I love you, Edward. Right this moment, you reminded me of why I fell in love with you in the first place. Because you're considerate and selfless, and you don't hesitate in protecting me–ever! Thank you for that."

Edward smiled that crooked smile that I used to love. I still loved it now that I got to see it again. "I don't understand what I did to deserve you," he whispered, but I shook my head.

"Don't. You've deserved the love I have for you all along. I'm just the messenger, and I've never been happier than I am now that I got that privilege."

Demetri came back and interrupted our moment. I felt the urge to growl, but I restrained myself. "We'd better head back if we want to reach the water before the sunrise," he said, and I nodded.

"Do you think you can handle this?" I asked Edward.

He looked worried as he stared out the window, but when he came back to me he grabbed my hand tightly. "I know that you and Demetri will help me should the need arise."

"Yes, we would."

***~IV~***

"What do you mean exactly?"

"Biologically, Edward's body couldn't digest the human blood in the right way, and that was why he experienced newborn stage all over again. It's the same way with humans when they have abstained from meat for a long time. When they eat it again they can experience stomachaches, headaches, and sometimes dizziness. This is because their bodies need to adjust to the new diet, and that was what happened to Edward."

"So there's nothing wrong with me?" I tightened my grip on Edward's hand. Of course there wasn't anything wrong with him. He was perfect, and I hated when he looked down on himself.

"Nothing at all," one of the scientists in the Volturi lab said reassuringly. "In about two weeks, you will feel exactly like you used to. Your control around humans might be a little rocky in the beginning, but since you've showed amazing control before, I don't think it will be too difficult for you."

"It's better now anyway," Edward mumbled. I turned to the scientist and thanked him before tugging on Edward's hand to show him that we were leaving.

We had been back in Volterra for about two weeks now, and even though Edward had not yet decided if he would stay or not, he had gotten into to the routine around here. My family and the guard members had gotten used to seeing him around as well, and I had even introduced him to Sulpicia. Aro had only agreed on me doing that since I would be there, and I would have easily protected Sulpicia and Athenodora if anything had happened.

Sulpicia had been fascinated by Edward's ability to read her thoughts from a distance, and Edward told me afterward that he could understand why Corin's gift was so addictive. He had never felt more content with his existence than he felt in that moment. The exception being when he was completely alone with me. I had laughed at him, telling him that was a nice save.

These two weeks had been the best of my life. I had both my family and Edward, and I wished that it would be like this forever. I never brought the issue up though because I knew that the choice was all Edward's. He already knew what I wanted, but he had to figure out what _he_ wanted. Hopefully, if he didn't want this life, maybe we could compromise. I just couldn't see a life without Edward in it anymore. The past two years had been proof of how much I actually needed him.

As we walked down the corridor to my room, Edward suddenly pinned me against the wall and his face was only inches away from mine. I giggled. "What are you doing?"

"I was just about to kiss the breath out of my mate if that is okay with you," he said with a mischievous smile.

"It's a lucky thing I don't need to breathe then." I winked, and Edward pressed his lips against mine in a passionate kiss. I had no idea what brought it on, but I wasn't going to complain. He started to nibble on my collarbone when I heard steps down the corridor. Edward growled at the intruder, and I heard Felix's voice before he came around the corner.

"Don't growl at me, boy! It will only end badly for you." Felix may be one of my best friends, but he had no right to say that to my mate, so I put myself in front of Edward, shielding him with my body.

"Are you threatening my mate, Felix?" I asked. My voice was controlled, but filled with anger.

"No, I'm just letting him know his place." Felix's lip was curled up, exposing his teeth at Edward, and my anger rose.

"Which is right at my side." My hands turned into claws at my sides, and even if I was a lot shorter than Felix, my authority made him take a step back and lower his eyes. "Do something against Edward and you'll have to answer to me, got it?"

Felix took a deep breath before nodding and continuing down the corridor. I knew my relationship with Felix would never be the same again, but it pained me that it had become what it now was. He had been my mentor, my brother, and my best friend, but as soon as I ranked above him, that changed. He changed, and I had realized that Felix wasn't comfortable around those more important than himself. The only other he could stand was Demetri and that was only because Demetri had once been _his_ mentor, so he expected him to be higher than himself.

My anger was still very close to the surface, but it subsided quite a bit when Edward pulled my hair over one of my shoulders and started to kiss my neck. He was so good at distracting me and making me think about something else. "Do you know how sexy you are when you're angry?" he breathed in my ear. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" I smiled.

"No, but you are free to show me," I said huskily, and Edward pulled me into his arms, carrying me bridal style to my room. It was incredible how we just couldn't get enough of each other.

***~IV~***

Edward and I were sitting on my windowsill, me between his legs and leaning back against his chest, enjoying the afternoon sun that reflected off our skin. We didn't say anything. We just were.

I was getting more hopeful that Edward might want to stay here with me as another month had passed, and he didn't seem to be in any rush to leave. That fact made me happier than ever.

Aro itched to offer Edward a place in the guard, but I had asked him to refrain from it until Edward and I had really talked things through. He was just adjusting to his new diet and the red eyes in his reflection didn't make him flinch anymore. Only that was huge. I never thought I'd see Edward comfortable in this kind of setting, and all of this just really proved that we still had a lot to learn about each other. Good thing we had forever.

Before the first feeding here, I had been so tense because it would be the first time Edward fed around other vampires, especially in such a large group. Well, my worries had been completely unnecessary as everything went without a hitch. Edward had been merciful with his killings, snapping their necks quickly and smoothly before sinking his teeth into their flesh. When I saw that, I could finally relax and focus on my own meal and enjoy it.

"Isabella." Renata's voice came from the open door, and I turned my head to look at her. "We've caught Amun and his coven. We need you in the throne room."

"I'll be right there." Renata nodded and left.

I got up from the comfortable position and grabbed Edward's hand. "Are you coming with me or staying here?"

"I'm coming with you," he said without hesitating.

About a year ago it had come to Aro's knowledge exactly why Amun had avoided him. It was because he'd recruited two more vampires into his coven, and he had kept them in the shadows because he didn't want us to know about them. We investigated into it and found out that one of the two, Benjamin, had a very unusual gift. His power was atmoskinesis, which meant that he could actually manipulate the four elements into doing his bidding. Amun had hoped to train him into a weapon. We did not know who he intended to use this weapon against, but let's just say that it did not make Amun look better in our eyes. He was going to be punished today for his crimes.

Edward and I entered the throne room together, hand in hand. Amun, Amun's mate Kebi, Benjamin, and Benjamin's mate Tia sat on their knees with their hands held behind their backs. As soon as the group turned their heads our way, I released Edward's hand and walked to stand next to Aro. That was my rightful place during situations like these. I had to detach myself emotionally and become stone-cold since an execution would probably take place today.

I saw that Edward didn't really know where to stand, so he just stood below the thrones by a pillar and looked quite awkward, but I didn't focus on that.

"Amun! You are brought before the Volturi because of your crimes, keeping us in the dark about intentions of creating a weapon that could possibly overthrow us. What do you have to say for your defense?" Aro's voice rang through the room, and I shivered at the sheer authority in it.

"Nothing that will change your minds, so I refrain from saying anything. I know my fate." Amun's voice was steady and controlled, but it was easy to see the fear he tried to hide behind his calm exterior. It was evident in his eyes that he never thought he would get caught.

"Very well then." Aro snapped his fingers and Felix and Demetri placed themselves on either side of Amun. He gave me a nod, indicating that Kebi was my responsibility while he interrogated Benjamin and Tia. They seemed rather innocent in all of this.

In the corner of my eye, I saw how Demetri frowned as he looked at his creator. It must be difficult to participate in an execution of someone you used to be so close to.

I walked up to Kebi and cradled her face in my hands, forcing her to look into my eyes before I tore her head from her shoulders. Her jaws clenched tightly when the sound of Amun being torn apart echoed throughout the room. Her expression morphed into one of deep pain, and that became her death mask.

It was quite sad that Kebi had to die with her mate since she probably didn't really have anything to do with it, but in the vampire world it was killing one and you will kill the other. It was the most merciful thing we could do. Marcus was proof that it didn't work out well if you had to live on without your mate.

When they were nothing more than a pile of limbs, they were collected in big black plastic bags so they could be burned outside. We never started fires in the throne room, it just wasn't practical.

I turned toward Aro and saw him shaking hands with Benjamin, whom after that left with Tia. They had apparently been granted freedom to leave as they were innocent like I suspected. Benjamin had been nothing but a pawn to Amun, and that was probably why he and his mate were able to leave without even looking at the plastic bags. They didn't have those kinds of bonds with their creator.

When I became myself again, I looked around the room, but I couldn't see Edward anywhere. Maybe it became too much for him and he went back to my room. And sure enough, I found him in there with his back toward the door, looking at something in his hand. I walked up to him and leaned around him to see what it was. It made me gasp.

It was a photo of me, but it was the human version of me with brown eyes, just a tiny bit darker skin than I had now, and all the human flaws that I'd always hated about myself. It made me self-conscious, seeing him looking at my human self like that, and I recoiled from him, feeling hurt as he obviously missed how I used to be. I thought we'd moved past this. I guess I was wrong.

Edward turned around, tucking the picture into his pocket before opening his mouth. "Isabella, I love you, and you know I do, but I have to tell you what I'm feeling."

We stood still in our positions, ten feet apart, just looking at each other, neither one moving forward. I was dreading what he would say.

"Isabella, I don't think that you'll ever understand how much I regret the day that I left you in the woods, but I want to try and explain it to you." He swallowed. "I regret it because of the innocence I stole from you. I could see it so clearly just a few minutes ago when you executed Kebi. The Bella I left behind would never be able to do something like that, and it was one of the things I fell in love with. You were so innocent. The complete opposite of me."

He scrubbed his face with his hands and continued. "This was never the life I wanted for you. You're too good to live like this, with death surrounding you from all sides. I had hoped that if I one day would have changed you myself, we would lead a peaceful life, just like the one we've had for the last month. When I saw how detached you were from yourself in there, it scared me because I realized how much you've actually changed from the Bella I fell in love with."

"Are you saying that you don't love me as much as you loved human Bella?" I asked, trying to keep the hurt from my voice. It felt like he'd taken a knife to my heart and was twisting it slowly in my chest.

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that the love I have for you and the love I held for her are two different sorts of love, but I want them to blend together. I want to stop comparing you to her subconsciously, but I think that the only way for that to happen is if we left Volterra to live our own lives, where we could be alone and just think about each other."

I understood what he was saying then. He had made his decision. He didn't want to stay here. He couldn't stay here, and he wanted me to come with him. "So that's your decision then?"

He nodded. "It is."

"And you have considered the difficulties with me coming with you?"

"I have. I was thinking that maybe we could come back here, eventually. You know, you will still be a part of the Volturi coven, but you'll just go off on your own for a while. I'm sure Aro would understand that." I considered it. It wasn't a bad idea. Still being a part of my coven, being hundred percent loyal to them, but just living with Edward somewhere else. Aro couldn't exactly be opposed to that, could he?

"Okay," I said and Edward lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes. We can at least ask. And I would love to live with you."

He walked up to me and kissed me tenderly. "Thank you," he whispered.

"It started with me making sacrifices as a human to be with you. Then you made sacrifices to be with me here. Now it's my turn again."

"And I will repay the favor," he vowed and kissed me again.

***~IV~***

"You want to leave? I thought you were happy with us, Isabella," Aro said as Edward and I stood in front of him and presenting our suggestion.

"I am. Very happy and please don't believe anything else. But I'm asking you to understand, as a mated vampire, that my mate's wishes go above my own, and I don't think his requests are unreasonable." I let go of Edward's hand and walked up to Aro to grab his to let him read the sincerity in my thoughts. "I'll still be a part of your coven, and I'll still be your daughter. I will always be loyal to you, and you know that you can trust me. I'm asking you to grant the only wish I've ever asked of you. Please?"

Aro let his eyes go between me and Edward, probably trying to make up his mind. He was fighting between his desire to keep me close to him and his need to keep me happy. He knew that I would be completely useless if I didn't have Edward by my side. He'd seen it. But it did not mean that he liked the fact that I wanted to leave the safety of Volterra for an unknown length of time.

The silence stretched and I tried to ignore how tense I got with every passing second. _Would he really say no?_ _What would we do if he did?_ I had always assumed that Aro would be gracious enough to understand. My grip on his hand tightened, and I pleaded with my eyes.

Please, please, please…

"Isabella, you have been the most loyal member of my coven even though you have not been with us for a very long time. I will not lie to you by denying that I wish your request would have been something else. You deserve better than my lies. I don't like it, but…"

I held my breath.

"I can't deny you. I know that you will come back to me eventually, and it means everything to me that you will still be loyal to this family even though you are leaving. But I do give you my blessing to leave with your mate because I know how much that will mean to you." I exhaled with relief and brought the hand I had in mine up to my lips and kissed it.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Don't worry about it, Isabella. And Edward–" Aro focused in on my mate who stood silent during the entire exchange. "I want you to promise me that you will take care of her for me. Isabella means a lot to me, and I will not be happy if anything were to happen to her."

"Believe me, Aro. I feel exactly the same way. I would never let anything bad happen to Isabella. I love her too much to allow that," Edward vowed, and I smiled at him. Hopefully, our love would be even stronger once we could focus completely on ourselves. I was looking forward to it. Being completely alone with Edward in a way we'd never been before.

"Good. I will inform the others of your leave. You are free to go as soon as the sun has gone down." Aro put his hands on either side of my head and kissed my forehead. "I will miss you, my dear daughter. I hope you will achieve what you hope to achieve."

"I hope so too."

Hours later, when Edward and I drove one of the rental cars from Volterra, I couldn't stop myself from feeling sad. It had been my home for the past five decades and now I was leaving it behind for unexplored territory. I looked longingly at the castle in the rear-view mirror as it became smaller and smaller.

We would return some day. I would make sure of it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo.**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue.**

**The chapter was beta'd by Project Team Beta.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 11**

I clearly saw the dates on the headstone, but I couldn't accept it.

It was too early. He was so young, and he was so healthy. Why did he die?

Forty-nine years old. That was how old my father was when he died. Only _eight_ years after I left was he buried ten feet below me.

I had never wanted the ability to cry more than I did in that moment. I did sob, though, and Edward moved his hands over my arms in a soothing gesture. It felt good to have him there with me because I didn't think I would have been able to handle it myself.

"Why?" I whispered in a broken voice to no one in particular.

"I'm sorry, love," Edward said in my ear and hugged me tightly against his chest.

We had left Volterra a week ago, and I'd told Edward that I wanted to go to Forks to see how my father was faring. Instead, I was met with his grave. I had known that there was a very big chance that he might not have been alive since he would have turned ninety-three this year, but I would have at least expected him to have been buried recently, not forty-four years ago.

"I don't understand. Was he sick? Why did he die so early?" My questions were rhetorical, and I did not really expect an answer.

"You know, we could always find out," Edward answered me anyway. "The cause of his death will be on his death certificate, and that's a public record, so it shouldn't be hard to find."

"Edward, we don't exactly look presentable to associate with humans." Our clothes were dirty and wrinkled, as we had not brought any clothes with us from Volterra and neither one of us had thought of buying new ones.

Edward hesitated slightly and took a deep breath. "How aversed would you be to going up to the old house?"

I turned around in his arms and stared at him with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. I know for a fact that everything will function there, and old clothes of mine and the others' should still be in the wardrobes."

"Don't you think they've been destroyed by moths after fifty-two years?"

"Some, probably, but not all of them. Unless you don't want to wear something so unfashionable." He was distracting me and it actually helped. He got my mind off the sadness of Charlie's early death and made me smile just a tiny bit.

"Since when have I ever cared about fashion?" I raised my eyebrow at him, and he chuckled.

"Oh, I don't know. Since we got reunited, I haven't seen you in a pair of jeans once."

I bit my lip in a mischievous way and gazed up at him through my lashes. "True. But there's a reason why I like skirts so much now." I eyed him pointedly, and a low growl rumbled in his chest when he realized what I was referring to. He had easier access with skirts than with pants.

Before Edward was able to take things any further, I stopped him. I was too aware of our surroundings. "This is so inappropriate in so many ways," I said and looked around the cemetery.

Edward ducked his head and took a few deep breaths to calm down before looking back up at me. "You're right. I apologize for my behavior."

I shook my head with a smile. "You're never going to hear me complain, but maybe we should take this somewhere else."

"The house?"

I nodded.

***~IV~***

It felt absolutely surreal, being back at his old house. So many memories lay here–fuzzy–but still very much there.

It was obvious that no one had been here for a very long time. Maybe not even since the day they left. The white paint was flaking, the lawn was completely overgrown, and one of the windows on the second floor was broken. Sadness crept up on me as I looked at the house I had considered my second home.

"It looks so…abandoned," I said quietly, and I couldn't stop myself from thinking that they left the beautiful manor just like they left me.

"Yeah, our move was kind of hasty," Edward said in a voice just as quiet as my own. Our thoughts were probably very similar in that moment. "Are you sure you are okay with going inside?"

I thought about his question. Had I still been the same person, I would have prevented myself from ever entering that house again. Too many memories lingered in those old walls. But I didn't want to dwell on the past. I wanted to create new happier memories with the Edward I had by my side. The past had passed, and it was about time that we both moved on from it.

"I'm fine," I said. "Are you?" I had to ask. He was the one that still had deep bonds with the ones that used to live here.

Edward grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles, looking at me steadily with his red eyes. "As long as you're with me, I am always fine."

Together, we climbed the porch steps and entered the front door. It creaked loudly as it swung open, in desperate need of some oil.

The first floor that used to be so light and open was now dark and gloomy. The metal shutters, which I'd seen once before, were in place to protect the glass wall. Huge linen sheets were placed over the furniture they had left behind, and the entire place smelled kind of musky.

We didn't stop down there for long. We just wanted to get what we came for and then be on our way. Both of us felt slightly uncomfortable here, so why linger?

When we passed the second floor, I saw what had broken the window. A thick branch lay on the floor, surrounded by the broken glass of the window, and the wind was making the worn curtains flutter around.

We stopped right outside Edward's old room, and I gasped when I saw how much he had actually left behind. The only things really missing were his CDs, but other than that, it was all there: the couch, his bookshelf, the sound-system, everything.

"Did you always leave this much stuff behind?" I asked lowly.

"No." Edward's voice was just as low as mine. "Usually, when we moved, we would donate everything we did not want to charity and then buy new stuff at the new place. That time was a bit different, though." I nodded. Edward walked up to his closet and scanned the clothes for anything that didn't look too ragged and then turned to me. "I think Esme's clothes will fit you the best. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, that's fine, but you will have to refresh my memory on which room it is." A small smile grazed my lips.

Edward smiled back at me. "Second floor, third door on the right."

I was just about to leave when I thought of something. "Do the showers work here? Now that I think of it, it would actually feel good to wash up a bit." I ran my fingers through the tangles in my hair.

"They should. I don't know how the pipes look, but we always used to pay the bills for all of our houses in case we would need to relocate fast."

"Okay, I'll see you in a few then." I gave Edward a kiss before exiting the room and heading toward Carlisle and Esme's old room. From what I could remember, I had never been in there, but it looked just as abandoned as Edward's room. All the big furniture was still there, like a huge king-sized bed and a beautiful vanity mirror in mahogany. The double doors opposite the bed led to a walk-in closet.

The air inside the closet was even muskier than the rest of the house–probably because the room did not have any air outlets–but that had also kept the moths away, and almost all of the clothes were whole and looked barely used.

As I searched for clothes that would not seem too outdated, a box on the floor caught my eye. Curious, I removed the lid. When I saw the content, I realized that Esme must have left this here accidentally and then never really thought of coming to get it. Hundreds of photos were inbound in piles, all from different time periods. These were memories, probably photos that did not fit into the photo albums but were too precious to throw away.

One pile caught my attention, and I removed the band that held them together. The photo on top was faded from age, but it was still easy to see what was on it. The entire pile contained photos of family moments from various time periods, and I swallowed hard when I looked at a particular one of Edward, Emmett, and Alice. Edward was sitting on the back of a couch, laughing hard with Emmett at something that the photo did not reveal. Alice sat crossed-legged on the floor, smiling wide at the brotherly love that was displayed between the two men. The photo was taken during their time here – I recognized the room as their living room – and probably after my arrival.

Guilt and jealousy welled up inside me. Guilt because I was pretty sure that Edward missed his family, and jealousy because I had never experienced that kind of easy love with my own family. Sure, we loved each other, but it was almost always coven business between us. When I thought of it, I couldn't actually remember one single time that we had just sat down to be together. Whenever we had free time, we separated into our own rooms and stayed to ourselves.

I must have been gone longer than I thought because Edward joined me in a change of clothes and with damp hair – I guessed the showers did work, then. He saw what I was looking at and sat down on the floor next to me.

"Do you miss them a lot?" I studied his face closely so that I could see his reaction to my question.

His eyes hardened at first while he thought of how to answer, but they slowly softened again after a few seconds. "Sometimes, but whenever I think about it too much, I remind myself that I have you, and that's all I really need to be happy."

I turned my head away from him and smiled. "That's really sweet of you, but you don't have to downplay it for my sake. They're still your family, Edward."

He put his hand under my chin so that I would look at him and locked his gaze with mine. "I'm not downplaying anything. _You_ are my family now, Isabella. The only family I need should be supporting and loving, and they proved lacking in the first department when I told them what I wanted to do for you."

"Yes, but still–"

"No. No _buts,_ " he interrupted me. "I do admit that I miss them. It's very hard to avoid that since they were a huge part of my life for a hundred and fifty years." He got up on his knees and put both of his hands on my cheeks. "But when they actually questioned you, it was an eye-opener for me, and I realized that no matter what they say, they will always secretly judge those that are not like them. I know because I used to be like that–it was just never at the forefront of my mind."

Edward released my gaze for a second before continuing. "I used to think of myself as strong just because I was able to retain my natural instincts, but when you pointed out to me how influenced I've been by the people surrounding me, I realized exactly how weak I was. How I've never actually stood up for my own beliefs, but for someone else's. That scared me."

"You were never weak, Edward," I told him. "That was not my intent when I told you my thoughts. I just wanted you to consider what you thought was right for _you,_ and not what someone else thought was right."

"And I thank you for that." He cast a glance at the photo I held in my hand and sighed. His tone was sad when he continued. "My family could sadly not accept it, so I could not stay with them."

We sat in silence for a long time; I looked through a few more of the photos before putting all of them back into the box. "Would you like to see them again?" I asked Edward, and he looked slightly taken aback by the question.

"Why?"

I shrugged. "From what you told me, it seems like neither of you really got any closure the last time you saw each other, and I think it would be good for you to meet again and really talk."

Edward searched my face for a long time. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable," he finally said hesitantly, and I couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

But my laugh died out when I saw his serious expression. "Edward, I think it's more likely that they will be the ones feeling uncomfortable. And this isn't about me. It's about you and your family." I would never be the one that kept him from seeing his family. My tone was very soft as I tried to persuade him. "Family is one of the most important things you could have, and I know you're very close to yours. At least, you used to be."

Edward inhaled deeply and turned his head away from me, but I could still see his inner struggle. I knew from past conversations that he was afraid of their influence on him, but as he said, he missed them and so he should see them. I shifted to my knees and whispered in his ear. "Don't let your insecurities hold you back. I'll be with you every step of the way." He shuddered, and I kissed his temple.

"Yeah, you're right. I really should talk to them." He eventually agreed. I felt relieved. He would only have agreed if he thought he could actually do this and not because I told him to do it.

"Okay. I just want to find out what really happened to Charlie, and then maybe visit my mother. I need some closure too, and find out what happened to the ones _I_ left behind."

"Of course. Anything for you, love."

***~IV~***

"Excuse me?" I said to gain the attention of the young woman behind the desk. She walked up to me, smiling widely.

"Yes? How can I help you?"

"I am doing some genealogical research and was wondering where you have your parish registers."

"Of course, but it would go a lot faster if you just gave me the name of the person and I could print out the papers for you," the woman said. I was glad that my red eyes were covered by green contacts at the moment, putting her at ease.

"Oh, that would be great. I am looking for a Charles Swan."

Her fingers paused over the keyboard and she looked up at me. "Do you mean Chief Charles Swan?"

How could she know that? I decided to play dumb. "I think so. I believe I read somewhere that he was a cop or something."

"Oh, he was more than a cop. He was the Chief of Police a little over forty years ago. He was quite a legend around here." She started to type on her keyboard again, but now she had definitely caught my interest.

"Really? How come?"

The woman leaned away from the computer and got herself ready to tell the story of a lifetime, or so it seemed by her expression. "Well, during his last five years as Chief, he really committed to his work, and he helped to discover that a Canadian gang used Forks for their smuggling of some kind of alcohol that was forbidden here."

"Really?" I could not see it in front of me. Since when did stuff like that happen in Forks? And what did she mean his last five years as Chief?

"Yeah. Sadly that was also his death. He stopped this huge truck because they were driving too fast, but the driver was all nerves because his load was smuggle-boost, and he thought Charlie was stopping him because of that, so he just took out a gun and shot him."

"He was shot?"

"Yes, and he was really young too. I think it was only a month away from his fiftieth birthday. It's quite sad actually." She turned around and grabbed the papers she had printed out for me. "Okay, here you go. This is his birth certificate, death certificate, driver's license, and also a few articles the computer found."

"Thank you so much for your help." I turned to leave when the woman stopped me.

"No problem. You know, I never asked–how are you related to Charlie?"

I swallowed hard before answering. "He was my great-grandfather."

"That's so strange because all I've ever heard was that Charlie only had one daughter and she disappeared–"

"–fifty-two years ago. Yeah, I know. She was my grandmother." It felt strange how easily the lies just came out of my mouth. Before the woman could open her mouth again, I stopped her. "Thank you again for your help." I turned on my heel, walked out of the library, and entered the alley next to it, where I knew Edward was waiting for me. He said that he did not feel comfortable with being in such close proximity with humans yet, and that was why he'd stayed outside.

"What did you find out?" he asked as soon as I was close enough.

"He was shot by a smuggler–that was why he died," I said quietly, and Edward enveloped me in his embrace and hugged me tightly to his chest. "The woman printed out a few articles. I'm mentioned in a few."

"What do they say?" he asked softly.

I looked down at the articles and scanned them for a few seconds. "It looks like Charlie went into some kind of a depression after I left and didn't leave his house for an entire year. It wasn't until then that it was assumed that I could have died, but Charlie refused to believe it, so he continued to put up flyers of me. After two years, he was still looking, and he used his connections as Chief to find out any information that he could. That was how he found out about the smuggling, and shortly after that, he-he was–"

I couldn't continue and leaned against the building wall, burying my face in my hands. I had always known that the day would come when I would outlive my friends and family, but knowing did not exactly make it easier when the day arrived.

A feeling that told me that this was my fault took residence inside me. It was hard to not blame myself when it was clearly Charlie's determination to find me that had put him in the middle of the smuggle business. Even if it was a coincidence that the driver Charlie stopped was one them.

"Don't." I heard Edward say, and I looked up at him.

"What?"

"I can see that you're blaming yourself. Just don't." He put his arms around me and whispered reassuringly in my ear. "There's nothing you could have done."

I sighed. "I know. But he was my father."

***~IV~***

"This feels so strange," I breathed out as we observed the humans in the park. The sun was up and high in the sky, so Edward and I were trapped in the shadows–it was sheer luck that we even found a tree that gave enough shadow against the Florida sun in the first place.

I had all of my focus on the man in the wheelchair. He was sitting next to a picnic table, eating something on a tray in front of him with shaky hands. He was a lot older than the last time I'd seen him, but there was no doubt that it was him.

Phil Dwyer at eighty-two.

He had always had little hair, but now he was completely bald. His face was weathered and wrinkly, and he had put on quite a few pounds, but his eyes were the same.

I'd read that he had been put in an old people's home about a year after Renée's death, which was seven years ago. She had been eighty-three and had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for five years before she passed away in her sleep from heart failure.

In her medical records, it was noted that when she was completely unreachable, she had been mumbling about her daughter being in the hospital with a broken leg after falling down two flights of stairs. When I read that, I had immediately understood that it was our last meeting that she replayed in her head over and over again. The time when I was recovering in Phoenix after James' attack.

I had never really understood how much pain I had actually inflicted on my parents by leaving, but now that I finally did, I wished I'd never found out. The only comfort I had was that at least Renée had lived a long life with Phil before the Alzheimer's kicked in.

Edward and I observed the residents of the home the entire day, only moving when necessary because of the sun. I wanted to talk to Phil, but I was afraid that he'd have a heart attack from seeing me, still looking eighteen and with red eyes. A shock like that could not be good at his age.

When the sun finally set, I told Edward that I wanted to visit Renée's grave. He just nodded, and we walked slowly toward the cemetery where she was buried.

By her headstone, I just crumbled. I fell to my knees and started to sob without knowing how to stop. My grief was threatening to drown me and Edward was the only one that could keep my head above the surface.

The words on the headstone hit me right in the stomach, but I just couldn't stop reading them.

_Renée Higginbotham Dwyer_

_1968-2050_

_Beloved wife and grieving mother_

_May she finally find peace_

"I'm sorry, Mom! I am so sorry!" I sobbed to the ground. By leaving my parents the way I did, I had done the ultimate act of selfishness. Sure, I had thought about them before I'd actually left, but only for five minutes at the most. I was the worst daughter. No one deserved being treated the way I had treated Renée and Charlie.

I repeated my apologies over and over, hoping that wherever she was, she would forgive me and know that I never meant to hurt her.

I had not realized that my fingers were digging into the headstone until Edward pried them away. "We have to go. The sun is about to come up," he said and looked worriedly over his shoulder at the janitor who was walking around on the grounds. I had not even registered that we had company.

I kissed two of my fingers before pressing them against the stone and straightened out. We gave the janitor a wide berth as he was looking at us suspiciously with narrowed eyes. Before we went around the street corner, we saw him taking long strides toward Renée's grave.

***~IV~***

"What do you mean, 'you want to wait'? I don't see why we should."

"I'm just saying that we've gone through so much during the last few days. And my family will be there in a week. I think we need a break." Edward started to glide his hands up and down my arms. "You know, just you and me and no responsibilities. We could run to Miami and find a secluded spot on the beach where no one will bother us." He had now stepped closer to me and was leaning down to whisper in my ear. "We could enjoy the sun and make love right there on the beach." I shivered at his suggestions and closed my eyes, just so that I could imagine it.

Images of an empty beach, waves rolling in and the sun high in the sky entered my mind. A shirtless Edward by my side, his skin reflecting the sun's beams, with a satisfied smile on his lips as he took in the warmth.

"Are you sure?" I asked him softly. As wonderful as the scenario in my head was, I wanted Edward to get some real closure with his family.

"Hmm, making love with you on a beach in Miami, or meet my family again in Ithaca, where I know that confrontations will take place. It's a tough decision." The sarcasm in his voice was heavy, and I chuckled.

"Fine, then. But you _need_ to see them again sooner or later. Next week, we _will_ travel to Ithaca. Promise me that."

"I promise," he said before giving me an amused smile. "You know, if I didn't know better, I would say that you _want_ to meet my family again."

I was completely serious when I answered him. "Like I said before, this isn't about me. It's about you and your family. I can see in your eyes, Edward, that every time I bring them up, you're hurting, and I hate seeing that." I brought up my hand to cup his cheek. "I don't ever want to see you hurting."

Edward looked at me for a long time, and I was unable to read his expression until he said, "I love you, Isabella. So much." I used the hand I still had on his cheek to bring his lovely face closer to mine and gave him a short but passionate kiss.

"As I love you, then," I said when we pulled apart.

***~IV~***

I laughed freely as I watched Edward run through the waves and toss his wet hair in a spot-on imitation of David Hasselhoff in _Baywatch_. The midday sun was reflecting off his skin, even when he dove into the water and swam under the surface.

We had found the perfect secluded beach–no humans for miles–and I was basking in the sunlight, absorbing it in the way that I'd always longed for when I was in Volterra. Out in the open, in the middle of the day. Supporting my weight on my elbows, I lay in the sand and watched Edward play around in the water.

Edward's head resurfaced, and he walked up on the beach to lie down next to me. He made a wet trail down my thigh with his dripping hand while looking into my eyes. The water was very warm and his touch was so sensual that I shivered.

Edward's eyes darkened when he saw my expression morph from carefree joy to instantaneous desire. A low rumbling growl emitted from his chest as he captured my mouth with his own, inserting his tongue, licking the roof of my mouth and tasting me.

I pushed up and rolled over so that I was on top of him. The ocean waves lapped at our feet, but we were too lost in our desire to care, and the smooth, silky feel of the water provided wonderful sensations. It was like being caressed by a lover. Edward's hands traveled from my back to my backside, and he squeezed it lightly as he parted my legs, making them settle on either side of his hips.

We only had our underwear on, and I could already feel his erection touching my wet center. I moaned, throwing my head back in pleasure. With a flick of his wrist, my bra came undone and freed my breasts, exposing them to the warm winds around us, but it was his heated gaze on me that made my nipples pebble. With a touch lighter than a feather's, he let his fingers graze over them, and my hands dug into the sand as sweet pleasure coursed through my body from the point where his fingers made contact with my skin.

His other hand traced slowly from my behind and over my thigh before it went under my panties. His index finger started to rub my clit and my breathing became labored as electric currents shot from my core and out toward my limbs. I breathed out Edward's name, begging him to give me my release and he swiftly inserted two fingers inside me. My inner muscles clenched around them, and he groaned at the feeling.

"Isabella, I can't wait. I need to be inside you."

"Yes!" My panties were quickly removed.

I was already sensitive because of my impending orgasm, so as soon as he filled me, convulsions rocked through my entire body. With Edward's firm grip on my hips, he rocked me above him in the same rhythm as the waves of the ocean. His chest heaved with his deep breathing, indicating that he was close, and I leaned back, holding on to his thighs to allow him a deeper angle.

My muscles were pulsating, adding to his pleasure, and he soon released inside me with a roar.

Satisfied, for now, I lay down on Edward's arm and traced random patterns on his chest. We didn't bother getting dressed, as it was only the two of us here.

"I thought that it would be impossible, but every time with you just keeps getting better and better," Edward said as he kissed my damp hair.

I couldn't have agreed more.

***~IV~***

I never took my eyes off Edward as I followed him from above, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. The night was dark enough for me to be undetected by humans. I wasn't going to lie and say that I wasn't worried because I was. I was worried out of my mind, as this was the first hunting Edward had in a setting like this since I found him in Rio. I was afraid that something would happen, that he would relapse and go into panic mode or something similar to that.

He had not yet selected his prey, but I could see that he was discreetly smelling the air for an appealing scent while he moved with the humans on the street. From his confident way of moving, it was obvious that he had hunted like this before, probably during his so-called rebellious period.

Suddenly, his head turned in the direction of someone walking on the opposite sidewalk, and when he had determined whom the scent belonged to, he crossed the street with purposeful steps. The human he was approaching was a blonde woman in her late thirties or early forties. She was casually dressed in jeans and a tight top that was a bit too young for her to pull off.

Edward gently tapped her shoulder and excused himself. The woman tensed up for a second before turning around, but when she saw the attractive young man standing behind her, she instantly relaxed and checked him out. I couldn't contain my smile when I saw Edward cringe infinitesimally. Her thoughts could not have been very lady-like at that moment.

"Yes?" she asked him with a sultry voice.

"I seem to have lost my way. I'm new around here, and I can't find my street. Could you tell me how I get to East Flagler Street?" Even if Edward made sure to sound innocent in his question, he also let a seductive tone seep into his voice, and I could practically see how the woman melted in front of him.

"Certainly. But it would be easier for me to show you." Her flirty tone was slightly shaky. I could actually hear how her heart had picked up pace. I could not determine from here if it was her self-preservation telling her that Edward was dangerous and that she should get away from him, or if she was simply aroused by his presence. Could have been both.

"Are you sure? I don't want to be an inconvenience for you," he said and frowned slightly as if he were actually concerned about her.

"Oh, darling! You could never be an inconvenience." The woman started to walk again, and Edward fell into step next to her. He swallowed thickly, and I knew that he was having a hard time controlling himself. It had been two-and-a-half weeks since we ate in Volterra, so he was probably very thirsty at the moment.

I lifted my shield and hoped that Edward heard me. _"Are you okay, love? Do you think you can handle it?"_ Edward's head turned in my direction for a second. To a human, it would look like he was just checking his surroundings, but in that second, he met my gaze and gave me a small reassuring smile. He was fine. For the moment.

"So, when did you move here?"

"About a week ago." Edward's voice was very open and pleasant.

"Why Miami?"

"I just finished graduate school on the West Coast, and I didn't want to stay there, but I love the warm weather, so Miami seemed like a good place." It still amazed me how he could make every lie sound like the truth. My own skills had improved immensely since I became a vampire, but I didn't think I would ever be as good of a liar as Edward.

"Graduate school, huh? How old are you?" Even if the woman knew that Edward 'was younger' than her from the start, she looked a bit worried that he might even be too young.

"Twenty-two. I just got my Masters degree in music education," Edward answered. He could pull off twenty-two, and maybe stretch it up to twenty-five, but that was the limit.

"Really? So you want to teach music?"

"Yes, preferably in elementary school. I love kids and it would be awesome to work with them." He finished the sentence with a charming smile, and I could practically hear the woman's ovaries explode. She did whimper quietly, a sound a human would not have detected amongst the busy street-sounds, but both Edward and I tried to keep from smiling. Mostly because of the thoughts I threw his way. I pictured how the woman would like to knock him out cold before dragging him to her apartment and then demand that he impregnate her right there and then.

Despite his smile, I could see that he flinched slightly at the mental images, but I was glad that he could see the humor in it and that I was only joking around. Even though it probably was partly true.

The woman turned into a side street and said that it was a short-cut and that it would take them to East Flagler Street faster. Edward did not complain as the side street was less crowded and he could start the hunt. This was when he would put the sensual charm on full and the woman would probably feel incredibly flattered and uncomfortable at the same time. She would be able to feel that Edward was more dangerous than she first estimated.

Edward slowed down his step so that he was slightly behind the woman and just a tiny bit closer. He inhaled deeply so that the woman could actually hear it, and her shoulders became tense, her step faltered slightly. "Mm, your hair smells good."

She swallowed. "Th-thank you."

Edward gently took a section of her hair between his fingers and studied it while he kept on talking. "So we've established my age, and I don't want to be rude or anything, but how old are you?"

"Thirty-eight," she said with a trembling voice.

Edward leaned in closer and spoke in her ear. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch that." She shivered, and it was definitely out of fear now.

"I'm thirty-eight." Her voice was stronger now, but only slightly.

His cold breath washed over her neck and goose bumps erupted there. "Really? You look much younger. I like women who take care of themselves." The woman's pulse was racing, and Edward's breathing picked up when her scent became more potent with her fear.

The woman had not noticed that Edward had led her in between two buildings, so when she registered her surroundings, tears started to form in her eyes and they fell down her cheeks when Edward's hands snaked around her waist. She could feel that this was the end and that it was no use in trying to escape or scream. "Wh-what are y-you d-doing?" she stammered out when Edward turned her around so that she was flat against the wall. His hands were on either side of her head, and her eyes widened when she took in how black his own were.

They were alone now, and I was perched on the edge right above them. I was surprised that Edward had not killed her yet since he had reacted so strongly when I told him that I sometimes played with my prey. Something wasn't right; I could feel it. I focused in on Edward's expression, and I saw it. His eyes were shut tight, he was holding his breath, and his hands were in tight fists. He had gone into panic mode and just a second later, he took a step back from the woman and cowered against the opposite wall. He needed me, so I jumped down to the ground and slowly closed in on them.

" _Baby?"_ I gained his attention through my thoughts just before I was visible to the woman. She jumped with surprise when she saw me, and as her gaze took in my features, she realized instantly how alike Edward and I were, from the pale skin to the black eyes.

"There's two of them?" she whispered to herself.

"Isabella, I-I'm sorry. I can't do it," Edward said from his spot on the ground, his face buried in his hands. I crouched down next to him and stroked his back soothingly.

"It's okay, baby. I knew that this could be a possibility. It's very different from feeding in Volterra."

" _Feeding?!_ " The woman's voice was panicked, and I knew that she would try to run at any moment. I should have killed her then, but Edward was my priority at the moment and he needed me.

"It's just that I did exactly what I have despised others for doing. I played with her, with her fear." I removed Edward's hands from his face and kissed him with all I had. He instantly responded and put his hands on my face to keep me with him. The woman saw her chance and made a run for it, believing that we were distracted, but I pecked Edward's lips one more time before I ran after her. She had to die because she could identify us, and we were not allowed to leave witnesses. Things could get ugly if that happened.

When I appeared in front of the woman in a flash, she screamed, but I put my hand over her mouth and dragged her back to where Edward was. I twisted her neck and she fell heavily to the ground. Then I used my nail to cut her wrist open, her blood immediately dripping down her arm. I held the open wrist against Edward's mouth and he reluctantly started to suck on it. Even if he did not kill her himself, he still needed to feed, and he did like her scent.

While he ate, I kept on stroking his back. This was something only mates could do. Two vampires could never be this close while feeding unless they shared that bond because instincts would tell us that we had to protect our prey. Edward trusted me, though, so it was fine.

When the body had run dry, I disposed of it in a dumpster that I set on fire. No evidence and no witnesses.

Back with Edward, I sat down opposite of him with my legs crossed. He refused to look at me, but I wasn't having any of that. I crawled on top of him and straddled his legs so that he had no choice but to look at me. There was nothing sexual behind the action.

"Edward, you did nothing wrong, okay? You acted on your instincts, instincts that you've buried inside for a long time. It's expected that you will have a hard time feeding at times, but you have to stop beating yourself up. Please? For me? I hate seeing you like this."

Edward mutely looked at me with his now red eyes before slowly nodding. "I'm sorry. You're right. I need to be strong. Especially now or my family will rip me apart if they were to see any hesitation."

"Exactly," I agreed. "But remember this, Edward." He kept his eyes locked with mine. " _You_ are _not_ weak. Okay?"

He swallowed and smiled at me. It was over. This time at least.


	12. Chapter 12

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo.**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue.**

**Chapter was beta'd by Project Team Beta.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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**CHAPTER 12**

I entwined my hand with Edward's to show him my support while we slowly walked up to the huge house that was quite similar to the one in Forks, but of a more modern kind. In my other hand, I held onto the box of photos that we'd found in Forks.

We could hear how the ones inside were running around after being frozen with shock when we entered their hearing range. Before we even reached the porch, the door was thrown open, and there stood Esme and Alice with surprised faces. That they were shocked was understandable. They had not seen either of us for almost three years, and suddenly we were in their driveway.

"Edward?" Esme whispered. Her hand was placed above her heart, and her mouth hung open.

"Hi, Esme," Edward greeted her, and she exhaled sharply. Neither Alice nor Esme had given me any attention. They were solely focused on Edward. I wondered how long it would take for them to react to Edward's new eye color. The answer was exactly seven seconds.

"Oh god. Edward, your eyes," Alice exclaimed. The rest of the family members had joined them now. Carlisle stood behind Esme with his hands on her shoulders, Jasper had placed himself in front of Alice, and Rosalie and Emmett stood in the background.

"Yes? What about my eyes?" Edward challenged Alice. He was going to make her admit how disturbed they were with his new diet. His tone was almost hostile, and the Cullens recoiled from it as if he'd hit them. This did not come off as a good start, and I knew he would regret it later. I squeezed his hand once before letting it go and sliding my arm around his waist instead. As I anticipated, he instantly relaxed and exhaled.

"N-nothing, Edward. I...I just...uhm." I had never heard Alice stutter so badly, but then again, I had never been around when the relationship between Edward and his family had been this bad either. "It's just good to see you," she finished in a whisper.

Carlisle, as the leader of the coven, stepped forward. His expression was open and polite, but I could easily see the underlying disappointment that he felt for his adoptive son. "Edward! As pleased as I am to see you, what exactly is your purpose with coming here?" His eyes flashed to me for a moment before settling back on Edward. He also stood protectively close to Esme. Did he think that I would hurt them? Did he think I was here on Aro's behalf? And if so, what could they possibly be hiding that would make them worry about that? I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"Isabella and I are here for the sole purpose of visiting my family. No matter what hard feelings there are between us, that's what you are to me." For a second, nobody moved, but then Alice broke free from the others, ran up to Edward, and threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh, thank god," she exclaimed. "You're coming home, aren't you? Oh, this is so wonderful! I've missed you so much!" She was sobbing at this point, and the others slowly moved down the steps, still very hesitant but not as closed off as before.

When Alice threw herself at Edward, I had automatically removed myself from his side, but I did keep a hold on his hand. He still needed my support. I saw in his expression that he hated to do this to his sister, but he had to be honest. After giving her a brief hug, he leaned away from her.

"No, Alice," he said. "I'm not coming 'home.' I already have my home with Isabella. We're only here for a short visit." His brows were furrowed with sadness. I knew this was sadness over the fact that he probably hurt Alice's feelings and not over the fact that he wasn't coming 'home' as he put it. Edward and I would never separate for a long period of time again, and that would definitely happen if he joined the Cullens. I just could not live with a family that went against everything I believed in. It would never work. Although, if Edward actually asked me to do it for him, I would consider it. For him.

"But...I...Do you...I don't understand," Alice said weakly and gazed up at her brother with wide, pleading eyes.

"That's understandable," Edward replied before addressing the entire family. "As I said, Isabella and I are here to visit, but nothing else. We won't stay for long. My reason behind this is because we need to talk. We did not end things in a good way three years ago, and I was hoping to make up for that."

"Of course. Come on in, Edward. It's just so good to have you back." Esme smiled lovingly at Edward before turning around and walking back inside with the others. Edward started to follow, but I stood still, something he did not realize until he was pulled to a stop by my hand still holding his. He turned back toward me and saw my passive expression, immediately knowing something was wrong.

"What is it, love? Is something wrong?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head slowly. "They did not invite me in. I don't want to force myself on anybody. If they don't want me in there, then I won't go inside," I said firmly. Edward's eyes hardened slightly. He turned around to look at his family. They had stopped on the porch to look at us. Esme looked a tiny bit guilty, but the others did not bat an eye even though they'd heard every word I said.

"Do you have anything against Isabella?" Edward did not beat around the bush. He was not going to tolerate his family treating me badly. "Because if you do, we have a problem."

"No, Edward. We don't have a problem with her. I just did not think." It did not go unnoticed by me that Esme did not address me directly. She was only talking to Edward about me, almost as if I wasn't there.

I figured I wouldn't get a better invitation, so when the others started to walk inside again, I quietly followed Edward, staying as close to him as possible. Even though I told Edward that I wouldn't feel uncomfortable, I still couldn't relax. I was tense, feeling like I was about to go into the lions' den. Edward was on my side, yes, but I still had six other vampires against me. If they decided to do something, there wasn't much I could do. I was outnumbered.

Walking through the house, I did not pay any attention to my surroundings. The only thing anchoring me down was Edward's hand in mine, and I constantly had to remind myself that I was doing this for him.

The Cullens sat down in what looked like the living room, just like they had always done whenever they were to discuss something. I preferred to stand–it would be easier to run would that be necessary–and held my place behind Edward, always keeping some sort of physical contact with him.

The silence stretched in the room when no one wanted to start up the conversation. Normal, polite small talk would not fit in here, and so everyone was staring at each other. While my eyes darted between all of the Cullens, I always let my eyes linger slightly longer on Jasper. I had noticed his scars when they were in Volterra, but they had never been at the forefront of my mind. Now they held a different meaning to me. They told me that in this room, Jasper was the biggest threat, and I had to watch out for his moves.

I briefly wondered how many wars Jasper had participated in during his time in the south. His battle scars said that he had either fought in few wars with big armies or many wars with small armies. It was hard to tell. I had seen Felix's and Santiago's arms a few times, but the number of their scars didn't even come close to Jasper's.

As I stood there and studied Jasper, he looked up and met my gaze. I did not flinch when I was caught staring at him, but when he narrowed his eyes at me, my lip curled slightly on its own accord. His golden eyes clashed with my red as we appraised each other for a very long time, neither of us listening to the conversation that had started up between the others. I didn't know any details of the experience Jasper had with combat, except what he gained in the southern wars, but he definitely knew about my experience. I might not be wearing my black cloak at the moment, but my family crest hanging around my neck revealed that I had been training with the best of the best.

I didn't think he did it consciously, but while still being locked with my eyes, Jasper's arm around Alice tightened, which caused her to turn her head to look at him. She followed his gaze and frowned when she saw me staring. I did not care. What Alice thought wasn't of my concern. All I wanted, really, was to get the hell out of here already.

"So I guess it's up to me to bring up the humongous pink elephant in the room or what?" Rosalie's sneering voice caused me to break contact with Jasper and Alice to look at her. The others had stopped talking, and all eyes were on her. She was openly staring at me, though, with a loathsome look on her face.

The Cullens had all tensed up when Rosalie spoke, but Edward just casually leaned back in his seat and folded his arms in front of him. "Please, Rosalie, continue," he said and gave her a small, but very irritated, smile. It was obvious that he had reached his limit with his sneering sister.

"Well, everyone here's thinking it. I'm just putting it out there." She shrugged and looked around the room to see if anyone would back her up. When no one did, she squared her shoulders and looked back at me and Edward. "When are you going to give up this nonsense and come home for real?"

Esme had closed her eyes when Rosalie first spoke up as if she was hoping that Rosalie would not say anything stupid, and now she let her head fall into her hands and exhaled sharply.

"I'm afraid that I don't entirely understand what you mean, Rosalie." Edward presented a calm exterior, but I knew he was boiling on the inside because that was how I felt. How dare Rosalie question Edward? She had no idea what he had gone through. She obviously did not understand that what he was doing was for me, for _us_ , and that even though he was still struggling, he was the strongest man I'd ever known.

But unless Edward indicated that he needed me to say anything, I was going to stay out of it. This was his... _battle_ , if you wanted to call it that, and he needed to fight it on his own.

"Oh, just stop playing dumb, Edward. You are well aware of what I'm referring to. Do I have to spell it out for you?" Edward just shrugged. He wanted to hear her say it. "Fine! When are you going to quit this...this _revolt_ against us, huh? Do you have any idea what you've done to this family by just abandoning us?" She turned her glare to me, and my hands tensed up into claws. "Is it because of _her_? Is she forcing you or something? Is she even aware that she tore you from your family?!"

I saw how Edward's entire body tensed up with anger. His eyes were glowing with rage, but he did not lash out as I had expected him to do. Instead, he calmly stood and walked slowly up to the chair Rosalie sat in. He leaned over her with his hands taking support on the chair's arms. Emmett shifted his weight so that he could protect Rosalie would that be necessary, but he trusted Edward to not physically harm her.

Rosalie sat with one leg crossed over the other and her arms over her chest. She was scowling, trying to look confident but failing miserably. Her body language said as much. She was unconsciously protecting herself by sitting the way she was.

Without breaking eye contact with her, Edward spoke. "You know what, Rosalie? I've had it with you and your constant self-pity. You always feel sorry for yourself because you think that you've been dealt a great injustice by having to live this life." His voice was low and almost threatening. It made shivers go down my spine. I had never seen Edward like this. Ever.

He continued. "You make it sound as if you actually care about this family's feelings or even me, but both you and I know the real truth, don't we, Rosalie?" Rosalie's scowl deepened. "You think that everything this family does reflects back on you, but that's nothing new. We all knew that already. No"–he shook his head–"the real truth that you are ashamed and a little bit afraid to admit. Even to yourself." Rosalie's stone expression faltered for a second before she squared her shoulders and sat up even straighter.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Really? Just think, Rosalie. Don't you think that our family deserves to know? You've always been ruthlessly honest. Here's your chance."

When Rosalie remained quiet, Edward straightened up and looked around the room. "I'm not here to defend myself or my choices. I had hoped that by coming here, you would see that I am happy and finally content with my existence. You either accept that, or this will be the last time that you see me."

Carlisle looked up at his son with a mixture of disappointment and pride, and he was the first to speak. "Edward, I won't deny the fact that I would have wanted a different path for you, but I'm glad that you finally found yourself. That is what I wanted for you from the start. That was why I let you go all those years ago when you wanted to go out on your own. Never doubt that."

Edward turned to his father figure and mentor. "I never doubted your sincerity, Carlisle. But your understanding of my need had the opposite effect, really." Edward inhaled deeply, finding the strength to tell Carlisle what he needed to say. "Unconsciously, you guilt-tripped me into thinking like you. I broke away from you for a reason. I was never against feeding on humans the way you were. I've finally accepted the truth of my real nature."

Carlisle nodded. I could see that he really wanted to argue with Edward about this, but he refrained from it. Some of my old respect for the old vampire reappeared in that moment. He really did love all of his coven members.

Suddenly, Rosalie stood up with her arms crossed and stormed outside. We could see her through the window and how she disappeared into the forest that surrounded the house. Emmett also stood up, but he walked up to Edward and put a hand on one of his shoulders. "I'm...happy...for you. In a weird sort of way." He shifted his attention to me. "I'm glad you found each other again. Really!" After that, he ran out of the house to follow his very upset mate.

I felt that I could much easier forgive Emmett and even Jasper for the past. It would be harder with Alice, Esme, and Carlisle. I had been closer to them than Emmett and Jasper, so I figured that was the problem. And had Rosalie not been such a bitch moments earlier, I would have been able to forgive her as well.

Edward walked back to me and captured my face with both of his hands before kissing me deeply. Then he took the box that I was still holding from me and turned back around. He gently handed the box to Esme, and she looked at him questioningly.

"That is actually why we came up with the idea of our unannounced visit. As you've probably already figured out, Isabella asked Aro to leave Volterra for an unknown period of time to be with me and travel." He brought me forward and twined his arm around my waist. "We made a stop in Forks and went to the old house. We found that in your closet." He nodded at Esme and Carlisle. "It was Isabella's idea to bring it along. She thought that you might have forgotten it when we left."

Esme's eyes flitted between me and Edward. She looked very unsure about something. She carefully lifted the lid from the box and gasped when she saw the contents. Her hand flew to her mouth, and it looked like she would cry. She looked up at me with blank eyes.

"Oh god, Bel-" she interrupted herself and corrected her own mistake. "Isabella, I don't know what to say." It was the first time since we had arrived that she directly addressed me.

I shrugged my shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't really. I might be a daughter of the Volturi, but I was not heartless because of it. I knew memories like these were important to Esme.

When I didn't give her anything more than my shrug, Esme started to look through the pictures. "Did you look through them?" she asked us.

Edward shook his head, but I told her that I looked through one stack of them.

She started to dig in the box until she found what she was looking for. "I did not exactly _forget_ this when we left. Most of the pictures in here are from that last summer, mixed with a few that no one would really miss. I pretended to forget it because I knew that the pictures were too painfully happy to look at." Esme looked thoroughly embarrassed at admitting this, but she kept steady eye contact with me the whole time. She handed a stack of photos to Edward, and he hesitantly started to look through them. "I knew that you wouldn't want to see them when you eventually came home, so I _hid_ them, I guess you could say, in the last place you would accidentally find them."

I slowly turned to Edward to look at the pictures as well. Every single one of them were of us. Or, more accurately, the human me and the old Edward.

It wasn't as painful looking at them as I thought, considering that I wasn't the only one that had changed now. Both of us had changed; so now we could look back at that time as if it was a different life. It was, in a way.

Edward stopped at one of the pictures. I could clearly see why. It was a typical Bella and Edward photo. I was cradled to Edward's chest as he carried me bridal style. We were kissing, but I could see how much Edward was restraining himself, making sure that he did not hurt me. My cheeks were a deep red, probably because of being caught on camera while kissing.

Neither of us took our eyes off the picture. We just stood there completely frozen, remembering how different things were back then. I did not think of those memories in a fond way. As time went on, I'd started to hate who I used to be. I never wanted to go back to that person, and it wasn't just because I used to be so physically weak. I had been mentally weak as well, always trying to please everybody else, never thinking of myself. I had practically been a doormat back then, just waiting for people to rub their shoes off on me.

I knew Edward remembered that time differently. I knew that he loved me as I was now, but he would always have human Bella in his heart. She had been who he fell in love with in the first place, and now she was gone forever. It was probably a bit bittersweet for him. He didn't have her, but he had me.

"Isabella?" Alice's weak voice gained my attention. "Would you mind if we could go somewhere and talk? Just you and me?"

I hesitated for a short second but agreed anyway. I could not hold a grudge and deny them the chance to talk. Only if they had a legitimate reason for what they did would I even consider forgiving them, and then it would be for Edward's sake only. I did not feel the need to make amends with them for myself.

Alice led me outside and in the opposite direction of where Rosalie and Emmett had gone. We walked in total silence until we reached a small creek. The water was aggressive, raging over the stones on the bottom, but still incredibly beautiful. The sun had peeked through the clouds and was reflecting in the water.

I leaned against a big spruce while Alice sat down on the bank and dipped her fingers into the water. She did not say anything. Neither did I, but I was waiting for her to begin. She was the one that wanted to talk.

"Even if I want to apologize, I won't," Alice began, and I raised one eyebrow. "Because I know that it won't make a difference. As long as you know that I truly am sorry, I won't bother you with lots of apologies." I nodded to acknowledge what she said. I could see in her expression that she was sorry, but it did not exactly justify the actions.

"And I do understand that you're angry, but can I ask you a question?" I nodded again. "How come you're still mad at us when you've so obviously already forgiven Edward? I would think that you would have a harder time forgiving him than us."

"Put yourself in my position, Alice. If you had been left behind by your family, your best friend, wouldn't you have a hard time forgiving them? And as for why I forgave Edward before you...he is my mate, just like Jasper is yours. I have ties with him that I don't have with you." That was the most I had said since we arrived, and I could see that Alice had not expected me to actually answer.

"What do you mean you don't have ties with us? We're your family," she exclaimed.

I shook my head. "No, Alice. You're not. You _were_ my family, back when I was still Bella Swan. But that girl does not exist anymore, for a lot of reasons."

"Name a few."

I narrowed my eyes at her sassy tone but answered her anyway. "She died when you left, and in her place, I started to grow. Partly because of me being brought up by my guard and, of course, Aro. I had to harden my heart to be able to handle everything that was going on in my home." My lips were in a tight line, and I kept my gaze steadily on Alice. She could not use that tone with me.

She realized that she'd stepped over the line because she bowed her head and watched her hands as they played with the water. When she looked back up at me, her eyes were blank with venom. "Please, Isabella. Won't you consider forgiving us? We only did what Edward asked us to do. I didn't want to go without saying goodbye. I really didn't. But I didn't have a choice!"

My back stiffened when she said that, and my voice was completely calm when I answered. "You always have a choice, Alice. I get that you wanted to respect your brother's wishes, but sometimes, even with the people you love, you have to go against them when they're wrong. You knew what would happen to me when he left–don't deny it. I can see in your eyes that you had a vision."

Alice buried her head in her hands so that she wouldn't have to look at me, but I continued anyway. "And that is why I can't forgive you. Edward left because it was his choice. It was stupid, but it was his. The rest of you only come with excuse after excuse. You don't want to take responsibility for your actions. No–instead, you put it all on Edward. I can't accept that, Alice."

For a long time, we stayed silent and just looked at each other. I saw exactly when Alice realized that it was a lost cause. The fight in her disappeared, her shoulders slumped forward, and she started to sob. I turned to leave but stopped when I heard Alice whisper out my name. One last plea.

I waited for a second in case she had more to say, but when she didn't, I made it perfectly clear where I stood. "From now on, I'll be completely neutral when it comes to you. I won't be hostile, but I won't be friendly either. I'm sorry if this will cause you any discomfort, but I'm doing this for Edward only. He needs you, and he needs your support. I really hope you will give him that." I continued to walk, and halfway to the house, I met Jasper. He did not even look at me. His strides were determined as he plowed through the forest toward his sobbing wife.

Coming back into the house, I realized that Rosalie had come back. She and Edward were talking quietly, the others nowhere to be seen. I couldn't even hear them, so they must have left to hunt or something. I had not paid any attention to their eye color, so I had no idea if they were thirsty. Rosalie's eyes were amber, but that could also indicate that she hunted while she was away.

The pair's positioning had me wondering what they were talking about. Rosalie sat slumped forward in the same chair she sat in before. Her arms were wound around her midsection and she was looking down toward the floor. She appeared incredibly vulnerable. Edward sat opposite of her, leaning forward with his elbows supported on his thighs. It looked like he wanted to comfort his sister but had no idea how to do it. It wouldn't surprise me if this was the first time he had ever seen Rosalie show her vulnerable side.

When they heard me enter, they both looked up. Edward looked relieved while Rosalie looked slightly irritated, but also apologetic. It was a strange combination.

Edward turned back to Rosalie. "I think now is as good a time as any." He nodded in my direction, and Rosalie tensed up. She sighed deeply before standing up. She reminded me of a child that had been told to do something it did not want to do.

"Isabella, I apologize for being so rude before. It wasn't you I was mad at. Not really. I just..." She started to say something else but stopped herself. "I just wanted to apologize."

I looked at her, and it took a few seconds for me to understand that she wanted to know if I would accept or not, so I nodded at her. "Thank you for apologizing."

After that, she sat back down. Edward reached out with his hand, and I walked up to him to put mine in his. He pulled me down so that I sat on the armrest of the chair he sat in. I could see that the conversation between the two was not over, and I did not want to interrupt, but clearly Edward wanted me to be here. So I stayed.

"It's kind of hard to explain to someone who's never experienced it." Edward started where they left off before I came inside. "It would be like trying to explain to Isabella how animal blood tastes. She can't imagine it since she's fed off humans from the beginning. She's got nothing to compare it with."

I was confused about the subject. _What had brought all of this on?_

Edward thought for a few seconds before continuing. "I guess the best I could come up with would be that it tastes a thousand times better than your favorite animal." He shrugged. "I don't know. The most dominant feeling would be that you actually feel satisfied after."

Rosalie nodded. "I don't know how I will ever be able to tell the others about my thoughts. I have a hard time looking Carlisle in the eye as it is," she confessed. "And Emmett will never understand."

"Rosalie, you do realize that's the fear talking, right? Of course Emmett would understand. Just talk to him," Edward encouraged.

"I can't! Before you called me out on it today, I had no idea that those thoughts had become stronger. I have a hard time admitting it to myself, so how could I ever admit it to Emmett?"

"You've taken the first step with talking about it out loud with me and Isabella."

"Yes, but it's different with you guys. You won't judge me for those thoughts!" Emmett moving soundlessly into the room caught the corner of my eye. He was behind Rosalie, so she could not see him. Edward probably already knew he was there. Neither of us acknowledged him. I immediately understood Edward's plan. He wanted Rosalie to say her thoughts out loud because he knew that she would probably never bring it up with Emmett otherwise.

"It would be hypocritical of a human-drinker to judge someone for having desires like that." Edward chuckled lowly, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling when I heard him refer to himself as a human-drinker in such an easy way. It meant that he was getting more at ease with the thought, and I liked it.

"Exactly!"

We were quiet for a few seconds before I decided to voice my own question. "What was it that started it?" Rosalie's head whipped toward me with a shocked expression on her face. When she understood that my question was genuine, she inhaled deeply.

"I'm not really sure. I think that a small part of me has always... _desired_ it, for lack of a better word. But I think Edward leaving us three years ago was the trigger. He told us then that he might change diet. Then he called us when he was in France and said that he'd made up his mind. It took months for me to realize that I was just slightly jealous. Since then I've pushed the thoughts away as soon as they've entered my mind."

"I'm not judging you either, Rosie." Emmett spoke up then, and Rosalie shot up from her chair. Her head moved back and forth between us and Emmett. Her eyes eventually landed on Edward.

"You knew he was there, didn't you," she screamed at him. She did not look very angry–more betrayed.

"Yes." Edward nodded.

"How could you?! I told you that in confidence!"

"He needed to know, Rosalie. You _need_ him, and I knew you weren't going to talk to him on your own." Rosalie looked at Edward with a disgusted look on her face, but then Emmett came forward and put his arms around her. She tried to break free, but he wouldn't let her.

"Please, Rosie," he whispered in her ear. "Don't ever hesitate in talking to me. If we don't have each other, then we'll have no one. We're supposed to be partners. In sickness and in health. We have vowed that to each other at least forty times in the last hundred years." Rosalie stopped fighting him, and she melted into his embrace.

"Forty-three, actually," she said into his chest, and Emmett squeezed her tighter.

"And I'll vow it to you another forty-three times." She raised her head and kissed him passionately. I tugged on Edward's hand, showing him that we should leave and give them some privacy.

We decided to walk out and sit on the porch to watch the sunset. I had kind of spoiled myself with the sun during the last week. It would be hard to go back to Volterra after that and only see the sun from my window again.

Edward sat down and leaned against one of the pillars, pulling me down between his legs. I leaned back against his chest, closed my eyes, and just let myself bathe in the warmth of the last sun rays. I felt Edward trace small circles on my bare arms, and I thought back to our week in Miami. We had been in this position many times during the week. Just sitting together and existing. It was very relaxing.

After a few minutes, I spoke up. "How long do you want us to stay here?" I made sure to make it sound like a neutral question, but I did not fool Edward. I heard the smile in his voice when he answered.

"It's draining spending time with my family, isn't it? You want us to continue?"

I straightened up and turned around to look at him. He did not look offended in any way, just amused. I smiled apologetically at him. "I'm sorry. I know I said that I would be fine, but I guess there is only so much I can take in one day."

He let out a small laugh. "And to think that we've been here for less than two hours."

"Edward..."

"Okay, I'm sorry! No jokes." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't know how long I want to stay. I guess I just want to catch up with everyone individually and give them the chance to learn about all the new things in me. So maybe another day or two. Do you think you could handle it?" he asked with concern lacing his tone. He was always thinking about me. One of the reasons that I loved him so much.

I leaned forward and pecked his lips. "I would handle anything for you." I settled back between Edward's legs and watched how the day turned into night.

***~IV~***

During the two days that we stayed in Ithaca, I always stayed away from the center of events. I watched how Edward slowly rekindled with his family, keeping out of it myself, and found other things to do besides reading all the time. I realized that I enjoyed working with my hands, so I started making macrame bracelets with all kinds of different patterns. I even started to create my own patterns.

I had decided to make one for everyone in my family and guard at home, so it was a bit time consuming to figure out what colors and patterns would work the best with the different personalities. I worked with a thicker material when I created bracelets for the male guard members and more delicate ones for the females.

Giving away these bracelets was my way of telling the guard that even though I was their Mistress now, I still saw them as a part of my family. And I really missed my relationship with Felix and Demetri. They had been my best allies when I came to Volterra in the first place, and I really wanted my brothers back. I really hoped they would see the bracelets for what they were.

I had decided to make one in red and black for Felix, knowing that was the primary colors he wore, and with a snake knot pattern. It really reflected his personality when it was done. I loved it.

For Demetri, I also made a snake knot pattern, but with a gray and red rope. In the middle, I inserted a metallic bead. I thought both of them would be pleased. I knew masculinity was very important to them, and these bracelets were absolutely masculine.

Sulpicia's bracelet got a cross-pattern, knotted bracelet in beige and white. It reminded me of a tropical beach, with calm, soothing winds moving palm trees back and forth. The perfect parable for my mother's personality.

For the rest of them, I kept to the darker color scheme. I had noticed the first time I entered the guards' collective wardrobe that you just did not wear light and breezy colors if you were a part of the Volturi. The only exception was for gold and white, but they were never mixed together.

I was working on Marcus' bracelet when Edward came up to me. I was in the garden behind the house, absorbing the sun while making all of the bracelets. The Cullens had been a few yards away, thankfully leaving me alone.

"What are you doing?" he asked me and sat down on the grass next to me.

"I am making macrame bracelets for my family." Edward chuckled while he studied the one I was going to give to Felix. "What is it?" I asked.

"It's just such a human thing to do." He shrugged. "And I never knew you were creative with your hands."

He totally left that one open for me, so I had to take the opportunity. "Oh, you know exactly how creative I can get with my hands!" I winked at him and he laughed out loud, throwing himself backward and putting his hands over his face as if he was embarrassed. Which I knew he wasn't.

I decided to change the subject. "How are things going for you? Any progress?" The change in Edward's diet was the hardest thing for his family to accept.

"Definitely. Jasper had already accepted it before we even came here, so he hasn't exactly treated me any differently than he did before, which was a huge relief. Rosalie and Emmett are coming around. Rosalie hasn't told the rest of them of her thoughts yet, but she's considering it. Carlisle's trying...it's hard for him, but he's trying, and I can't ask more of him. But Esme and Alice, they just can't handle it. As soon as it comes up, they leave the room. If they look me in the eyes, they can only do it for a few seconds before they have to look away." Edward rolled over on his side and supported his head on his hand. He looked exhausted, even if it was only mentally. "I know it's a huge adjustment, but it's not like they have to see me every day. I guess I just hoped that they could put their opinions aside for this one visit. I don't know when I'll see them again."

As soon as those words had left Edward's mouth, I put my work down and laid down next to him so that we were level with each other. "Edward, I wish I could promise you that we can visit anytime you want, but I can't, and that tears me apart because I know how much you'll miss them."

"I understand that, Isabella. You've got obligations that you can't ignore or postpone. It's okay, really, I didn't mean it the way it came out. I'm not putting it on you," Edward reassured me, and I exhaled with relief. I had gotten worried for a second, believing that he would start to resent me after a few years because I kept him from his family.

Suddenly, Edward frowned, and I realized that he wanted to speak about something difficult. "Speaking of that, we need to talk about how to solve everything once we go back to Volterra. You've already told me that you can't leave permanently, and after what you told me about Didyme, I understand why. I hate that you're going to be under the same roof as the ones you have those suspicions of, but–" He hurried to say 'but' when I opened my mouth to argue. "I can see how much you love your family, and as you said, it's only a theory. I can accept that. Mostly because I know that you could probably kick their asses would it be necessary." I laughed at that, so happy that he finally understood how I was feeling.

Unfortunately, I had no solution to our situation. I _had_ to stay close to Volterra while Edward _couldn't_ because of emotional reasons. Before, I could have understood his apprehension since he did not share their diet and it would be very uncomfortable for him; but since then, he'd lived with us for six weeks, and it had worked out just fine, except for the execution that triggered this little journey of ours. But I had thought a lot of his words back then, and an idea had presented itself to me. I had no idea if it would work. I was going to present it to Aro when we came back, but I wanted to ask for Edward's opinion first.

"I have a suggestion. It's not a solid solution, but maybe it will work." Edward nodded and indicated that I should continue. "I was thinking that maybe we could get a place to live in Florence. That way, I'll only be a run away from Volterra, and I could arrive there in fifteen or twenty minutes tops. And you wouldn't have to be involved with coven business if you wish to stay out of it."

I saw Edward's smile stretch across his face, and I knew that he really liked that plan. Now it was only a matter of getting my family to like it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo.**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue.**

**Chapter was beta'd by Project Team Beta**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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**CHAPTER 13**

It would have been almost impossible to wipe away the smile on my face when I saw Volterra in the distance. I had been away from my family for way too long. Fifteen years, to be exact, as Edward and I had traveled the world. I'd had contact with Aro during that time, but the letters had been few and far between.

The sun was high in the sky when we arrived inside of the walls, so Edward parked in the shadows as far away from the plaza as possible. Humans were walking around in light clothes, enjoying the warm weather. Their sweat enhanced their scents, but I wasn't worried about Edward anymore. After feeding on humans for over sixteen years, he had gotten his old control back. Besides, it was strictly forbidden to feed on those that resided inside of these walls.

We kept to the shadows as we oriented ourselves to the big entrance. Technically, I was allowed to go inside the castle any way I pleased, but I wanted to make an entrance. Aro and his brothers had no idea I was coming home today, so it was a surprise.

I confidently entered the elevator with Edward holding my hand. I had noticed that as my excitement grew, he got quieter and quieter. It took me a few minutes to realize that it was because my demeanor changed as soon as we closed in on my home. I had transformed back into the princess of Volturi, which meant that I'd become more subdued in expressing my emotions.

When the elevator doors opened, I immediately saw the changes that had been made in the reception area. I could smell that we'd gotten a new receptionist, which was to be expected after one-and-a-half decades. The woman behind the desk was in her early twenties. She had blue-green eyes and long mahogany hair that reached down to her waist. By human standards, she was very beautiful, and I could tell from her body language that she knew this. I did not know why, but I took an instant dislike to the woman.

She did not even look up when we walked out of the elevator. She just kept on writing in what looked like some kind of notebook. I was about to just walk past her when she opened her mouth. "You can't go into that area. It's strictly forbidden to outsiders."

My eyes snapped toward her, but she did not look up. I narrowed my eyes at her but tried to keep calm. She obviously did not know who I was since she had not met me before, but she was still treading a dangerous path. Even if I had not been a member of my coven, she should still have shown respect. That was always a demand we put on our receptionists.

"I'm not an outsider," I said through clenched teeth. Edward felt my anger and put his hands on my shoulders to calm me down. For once, his touch did not help. I detested this human, and we had been in the same room for only two minutes. She had an air of arrogance around her.

The woman finally looked up with defiance coloring her eyes. She gave me a smile as if she knew something I didn't, and as if I were stupid. "Do you have an appointment?"

I really had to keep myself from growling at her. What the hell was up with this woman? Venom pooled in my mouth, and my vision was tinted red at the edges. I automatically brought my hand up to my throat when the flames of thirst scorched me, and I realized that my family crest was hidden beneath my shirt. That would explain why this inane little human didn't know who she was talking to.

"I don't need an appointment." I fished out the necklace from my shirt and watched with satisfaction as the woman's eyes widened and her pulse accelerated with fear. She knew that she had acted poorly toward the wrong person. "What is your name?"

The woman just gaped at me.

"I asked you a question!" She was really trying my patience at the moment.

"A-Adriana," she answered in a small voice, and I decided to put her even more in her place.

"My father will definitely hear about this," I said in a low voice before turning away from the human and starting down the hallway that led to the throne room. Edward was right behind me. He had released my hand when he put his on my shoulders, but I needed him to restrain me–just so that I wouldn't turn back and harm the woman that was right now trying to calm down her heartbeat by taking deep breaths–so I took his hand in mine again.

By this point, I could hear my family moving around, and I hurried my steps. I was just so excited, and I quickly pushed the annoying human to the back of my mind.

I pushed the double doors open and breathed a sigh of relief when I set my eyes on my father and uncles. Hearing my sigh, they turned around and took me in.

"Isabella," Aro breathed out before a smile overtook his features.

In that moment, I left all of my restraints behind and ran up to hug him. After becoming his daughter, he had gotten used to this behavior from me, so he wasn't surprised when I threw my arms around his neck. I heard him laugh with delight, which shocked me slightly as I'd never heard my father act so carefree. He had always felt the need to put up a front for the guard.

When I released him from my hold, I understood why he was so open. The guard was not present. Not even Renata and that made me frown. Renata was always close to my father, so what had changed? Had I interrupted a meeting or something? If I had, my family did not seem to care about that fact.

Aro cupped my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. "My daughter. You're home."

"I am, Father," I said and placed my hands over his. A hand on my shoulder alerted me to the fact that my uncles had stepped forward to welcome me home as well. I turned my head to my left and saw that the hand belonged to Marcus. Aro released me as I stepped up to Marcus. He immediately took my hand in both of his and squeezed.

"Welcome home, Isabella." I was overjoyed to see that he looked more alive than I could remember ever seeing him. There was a light in his eyes that actually made him look like his physical age of nineteen.

"Thank you, Marcus," I said with thick emotion coloring my voice.

"Isabella." I heard Caius' voice behind me and turned around. He simply nodded at me, and I nodded back at him.

"Caius," I greeted him, and that was all there was to it.

During my exchange with my uncles, Aro had walked up to Edward and was engaged in a conversation with him, Edward's hand tightly clasped in Aro's. "I am pleased to see that you honored your promise to me," Aro said when he released Edward's hand.

"I wouldn't even dream of breaking that particular promise. Isabella means the world to me," my mate vowed. I was sure my love for him was displayed completely on my face in that moment.

"Yes, I can see that." Aro smiled. He then turned toward me and reached out his hand. I gave him my hand without hesitating, and Aro gingerly placed it in Edward's, which he had grabbed again. "I am aware that you don't need it, but you officially have my blessing. Whenever you feel ready to tie your souls together in front of God, I would be honored to perform the ceremony."

My eyes widened at my father's words. He was actually saying that when Edward and I wanted to become husband and wife, he wanted to be the mediator between us and God. I wasn't religious in any way, but Aro was a devout Catholic, so for him to offer this was a great deal.

I felt unable to respond, but fortunately, Edward did for the both of us by sincerely thanking my father. Aro accepted those thanks with a nod before continuing. "With that matter taken care of–Isabella, I want to hear everything about your travels."

We sat in the throne room for hours. Edward and I told the brothers about everything we experienced during our journey. What interested them the most were our descriptions of the landscapes in the countries we'd visited. They wanted to know how much everything had changed around the world–since they rarely left Volterra, they had barely any idea how the outside world looked.

Eventually, we were interrupted by Renata and Jane. Renata showed real happiness when she saw me. During the forty-six years that we'd worked together to protect my family, we had become friends. Not very good friends, but friends just the same. Jane actually gave me a small smile when she greeted me with a curtsy. I smiled back at her and told her gently to rise. I asked her about Alec, and she snorted out how he was somewhere around the castle with Sadie.

I told everyone in there then that I wanted to visit Mother. Jane told me that she and Athenodora were eating at the moment just so that I was forewarned. I thanked her for that before taking Edward's hand and starting toward the tower where Sulpicia and Athenodora spent all their time together with Corin.

I had just closed the door at the bottom of the stairs when I heard my mother's voice. "Isabella? Is that you?"

"It is, Mother. I'm home," I responded before walking into her view. She immediately stood up and opened her arms for me. I gratefully entered her embrace and inhaled her comforting scent. My mother had a unique scent that had always had the ability to calm me down after a particularly stressing mission or task that Aro sent me to do. I barely registered Athenodora's and Corin's presence in the room.

"Oh, Isabella! I've missed you so much, _mia figlia amata_!"

"Anche mi sei mancata, madre." _I missed you too, mother._

"And Edward, it's nice to see you again," Mother said when she turned to Edward.

"The feeling is mutual," Edward replied from behind me. His grip on my hand had loosened when Corin's gift affected him, and he instantly relaxed.

Exactly like with the men in the throne room, we stayed in the tower for hours and just talked. Even if Edward and I had just told the story of our travels, it felt like a new story when sharing it with my mother. She had different kinds of questions, like how I felt when I saw something new. She wanted to know about my experiences more than about the places we'd been to.

After that, I told her about Father's blessing of Edward's and my relationship and how he would want to be the one to join our souls in front of God when that time came. That made her smile.

"Well, my husband is a very good judge of character, and so I trust that you will take care of my Isabella, Edward."

"I will protect her with my life."

Mother nodded. "That's good enough for me. You have my blessing, as well."

I smiled widely at Edward, and he dropped my hand and wound his arm around my shoulders instead. He squeezed me to his side and placed a kiss at the top of my head.

I was sure Corin's gift had nothing to do with my contentment in that moment.

***~IV~***

I slowly entered the combat chamber where Demetri and Felix were supposed to be at the moment. They were completely focused as they circled around each other, but I knew that they had heard someone enter and by now recognized that it was me from my scent.

I was alone for once. Edward had stayed in my room after I'd told him that I needed to talk to Felix and Demetri by myself. He had been about to protest but then thought better of it and kept quiet. It would only have turned into an argument had he gone against me.

I quietly sat down and leaned against the wall, just watching the two men as they went at each other. I did not interrupt as I wanted this conversation to start in the right place. Right now, I wanted for them to see me as Isabella, their friend, and not Isabella, their mistress.

The men finished up their match and finally turned their attention to me. "Mistress," they mumbled simultaneously with their gazes directed toward the floor.

I shook my head. "Not right now." They looked up at me. "I want to talk to you, but not as your mistress." They exchanged a hesitant look. "Please?"

Demetri sighed and his shoulders slumped down, but he sat down opposite of me on the floor. Felix was more hesitant, but he did the same after a few seconds. "Thank you," I said quietly. They just nodded. It was at times like these that one could see how long they had actually been friends and worked together. They were so synched it was almost scary.

I took a deep breath and exhaled through my mouth before saying anything. "I want to begin by making it clear that, in this moment, we're only Felix, Demetri, and Isabella. I was hoping to talk about how our relationship has changed since Aro adopted me." I swallowed thickly.

"What is there to talk about?" Felix asked with a frown.

"I don't like those changes," I said honestly. "I hated it as soon as I noticed that you treated me differently from how you used to."

"You treated us differently as well," Demetri pointed out but kept his eyes on the floor.

"Only when necessary. It's expected of me to act as your mistress in certain situations. You must understand that. I just–" My voice dropped to a whisper. "I miss my brothers." My eyes were filled with venom at the moment. It had been a long time since I made myself so vulnerable in front of other vampires.

I turned to Felix and focused on him. "I miss how easy our relationship used to be. When I first came here, you immediately took me under your wing. You taught me everything there was to know about the vampire nature. You made me feel at home. Without you, I would have been lost." I started to cry tearlessly when my throat constricted from the emotion I felt. I had not realized exactly how much I'd missed my brothers until that moment.

"And Demetri"–he finally looked me in the eye–"you were always my protector. Whenever I did something inappropriate or wrong, while I was learning, you never hesitated to step forward and defend me. I'm sure you saved my life quite a few times during that first year. Without you, I would've been turned into a pile of ashes a long time ago."

I took another deep breath to get my shaky voice under control and also scrubbed my face with my hands. Once I felt calm enough, I reached into my pocket and presented the men with the two bracelets. They automatically held out their hands when I offered the handcrafts to them. I kept my eyes locked on the bracelets as I spoke. "I made those during my time away. They're called macrame bracelets, or friendship bracelets. They're my way of asking you to take me back as your friend and sister." I didn't dare to look at their faces, for fear of what I would see there.

What I did not expect was to be enveloped by huge arms. My head snapped up, and I realized that I was actually being hugged by Demetri. I couldn't remember a single time where I had hugged him. But it did not take long for me to hug him back. When he released me, Felix pulled me to his chest and spun me around in a circle.

"I've missed you too, _adhelfi_ ," he mumbled into my hair. When he called me sister in his native tongue, I knew that we would be fine.

"Of course we'll take you back as our sister, Isabella. We've been acting the way we have during the last twenty years because we didn't know how to respond to your new authority," Demetri said from somewhere behind me–I was still pressed to Felix' chest. "We give you our sincerest apologies, Isabella. We never realized how much our behavior was affecting you. We promise to never act so poorly toward you again."

Felix finally released me. "And if we do, promise to kick our butts to the moon."

I laughed. "Only if you promise me the same."

Demetri and Felix held out their hands and waited for me to place mine over theirs. "It's a deal," Felix said and smiled at me.

***~IV~***

The three of us walked to the throne room together, and when we walked past the corridor that led to the reception area, I was reminded of that stupid human. I huffed, and Felix raised his eyebrow at me. I shook my head. "We should consider a change of receptionist." Felix's eyebrows went low over his eyes. His expression told me that he did not like my suggestion.

"What's wrong with Adriana?" His tone was challenging, and I thought I heard Demetri snicker on the other side of Felix. _What was all of this about?_

We stopped walking. I was surprised at Felix' tone, and it took me a second to respond. "Well, for starters, she was incredibly rude toward me when I arrived home. I understand that she haven't met me before, but that does not excuse her behavior."

Felix sighed. "Maybe not." He paused. "I'll talk to her."

My eyebrows almost disappeared into my hairline. "You? Why would _you_ talk to her? That's way below your responsi–"

"I said, I'll talk to her," Felix interrupted me, and I almost choked on my own venom. Felix had never talked to me like this before, not even before I was adopted. He was curiously protective of Adriana, and I had a feeling that I knew why. I just hoped I was wrong because I really wanted that woman out of here.

"Uhm, Demetri, how long has Adriana been here?"

A grin was etched on Demetri's face, and he had to swallow his laugh before he answered. "About a year."

"And how often does Felix linger in the reception area?" My own smile started to spread when I saw how irritated Felix got with my questions.

"At least twice a day." Demetri looked around Felix and winked at me.

"Huh," was my only response. Felix growled with irritation and I laughed.

"What? What is so funny?" Felix demanded, but that only caused Demetri and me to laugh even harder. I hated that this had happened to my friend with that woman, but it only showed how completely unexpected love was.

I wound both my arms around Felix's bigger one and leaned heavily against him. "Oh brother, I believe you have been shot by one of Cupid's arrows."

Felix's eyes widened when he realized what I was saying. "No, that's not poss–"

"Believe it, my friend." Demetri patted Felix on the back.

"No, no, I just..." He did not finish as he hurried down the corridor toward the reception area. Demetri and I started to laugh again.

I bumped Demetri with my shoulder and eyed him pointedly. "I guess it's your turn next then."

"I wouldn't exactly hold my breath," Demetri said with a smile, but I could see a sadness in his eyes.

"Why not?" I was serious now. Being unmated could be a touchy subject for some vampires, and this had never been something I'd discussed with my brothers.

Demetri's smile faltered, and he sighed. "Isabella, I've lived for over a thousand years. If my mate was out there, don't you think I would have met her by now?"

"Not necessarily," I said encouragingly. "Felix isn't that many centuries younger than you, and look at what happened to him."

"Jane is older than me and she is still alone."

I inclined my head upward so that I could look him in the eye. "Alec is the same age as Jane, and it took him one-thousand-two-hundred and thirty-six years to find Sadie, so don't lose hope just yet."

Demetri smiled at me, but I could see that he only did it to humor me. My heart ached for my friend. If someone deserved love, it was Demetri. He had a very gentle nature outside of his duties. Any woman would be lucky to have him for a mate.

My thoughts went back to Felix and Adriana. "I hope for Felix' sake that Adriana will show some kind of power when she's changed. Father's getting tired of recruiting vampires to his ranks that can't add anything to the guard." I said this mostly to myself, but Demetri responded anyway.

"Yes, it's becoming a bit of a full house around here nowadays," he agreed. That was an understatement. It was highly unusual for so many new vampires to join the coven so close together. Before me, there hadn't been a new guard in the ranks for almost fivehundred and fifty years. Only in the last seventy years had three new ones taken a place in the coven: Myself, Sadie, and now Adriana. Add to that, Edward lived in the castle until we presented our idea of moving to Florence. I wondered when it was ever going to end and how long it would take before Aro reached his limit.

"What do you think of this Adriana?"

Demetri smiled at me. "You really don't like her, do you?"

"No, and I'm just being honest. She's arrogant and rude. I assume I'm right when I say that Felix had a finger in her getting the job because she does not fit the criteria that we usually have." My annoyance with the woman got stronger every time I thought of her. _Ugh!_ _Why does she have to be Felix' mate?_ _That just means I_ have _to be nice to her because he's my brother._

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but no. Felix had nothing to do with her employment. She was actually the most qualified of the ones we interviewed. She's a great receptionist. Keeps everything on a professional level. I think you just caught her on a bad day."

I couldn't believe my ears. _She'd caught Demetri under her spell too?_

"Not you too!" I whined, and Demetri once again smiled at my childish behavior.

"You just need to get to know her, that's all." We started to walk again but prepared to separate when we reached the door to the family's private wing.

"I don't like her and don't want to get to know her. I'll play nice for Felix' sake, but do not expect me to become friends with her." I crossed my arms over my chest in a defiant way.

"That's all I'm asking for, Isabella. For Felix." He put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it lightly before turning around and heading toward the opposite side of the castle. I exhaled and entered the door. As soon as I did, Edward stood in front of me.

"How did it go? I heard Demetri with you just now." He put his hands on my waist and pulled me against him.

I wound my arms around his neck. "It went very well. Better than I expected, actually. They practically welcomed me back with open arms."

"I'm glad. I see a new light in your eyes that I haven't seen before." Edward's smile was genuine. It felt so good that he was happy for me and not jealous like other male vampires had a tendency to get when their mate had a close relationship with another male.

"Yes, my relationship with my brothers was already a bit rocky when you re-entered my life." Something dark passed over Edward's features when I mentioned our first separation. I dropped my head toward the floor and sighed.

Edward understood that I was quite tired of his masochistic ways. "You might have forgiven me, but I will never forgive myself for leaving you the way I did."

"Will you explain something to me, Edward?"

"Anything, my love," he replied without hesitancy.

"Do you like being in pain?" I slid my hands from around his neck and let them settle on his chest. I looked back up and locked my eyes with his. He looked confused by my question, and it seemed like he was waiting for me to elaborate further. When I didn't, he looked even more bewildered.

"I'm not entirely sure I know what you mean," he eventually said.

I repeated my question. "Do you like being in pain? I mean, since you never let go of past events that hurt you. As you just said, I've forgiven you, so why can't you forgive yourself?" My wonder was real. I just couldn't understand why Edward had such a hard time when it came to his mistakes. Why he always berated himself for his wrongdoings. The past was in the past, and it only belonged behind us, not before us where it plagued our future.

It took Edward a few seconds to answer me. "No, I don't like being in pain. I just can't help myself. I've always blamed myself when something's gone wrong. It's so deeply rooted in my very being, it's hard to stop."

"If you want help, I'll be glad to provide it," I said sincerely. "I think you need someone to point it out for you. Someone who really makes you think about it."

"Well, you sure do a good job on that point." He chuckled. "My mind seems to never shut up when I'm around you."

I smiled. "What does it say to you?"

"Mostly how much I love you, and that I can't believe that I finally have you in my arms again." I stood up on my toes and placed a fierce kiss on his lips. Even though we'd just spent fifteen years alone together, I would never get enough of kissing that man's lips.

Our tongues tentatively played with each other, and when Edward's hand slid down from my waist to rest on my bottom, I felt that delicious ache between my legs. I knew things would not end here if we did not stop this instant. I reluctantly pulled away and stared deeply into Edward's ruby eyes.

"Later," I whispered, then in a louder tone, "We need to be just a tiny bit more social before we retire to my chamber."

He laughed softly. "Fine then, but remember that you promised me a later." He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"And I always keep my promises."


	14. Chapter 14

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo.**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue.**

**Chapter was beta'd by Project Team Beta**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 14**

Edward and I had decided to stay in Volterra for three months before presenting our suggestion to the brothers. We didn't want to tell them as soon as we'd arrived, as that would have been plain disrespectful. Besides, there wasn't exactly any rush, and whenever I had to attend coven business, Edward simply stayed in my chambers. It had also been comforting for me to know that he was near, as I got extremely uncomfortable whenever I was away from Edward for long periods of time.

Word had spread quickly that Felix had found his mate in the receptionist, and the reactions were mixed. All of the mated vampires congratulated him, as they all knew how it felt when they found their mates–the utter feeling of completeness that was impossible to explain to an outsider.

The others were, of course, happy for him as well, but there was bitterness, too. This bitterness developed out of the jealousy they felt whenever another in their proximity mated while they were unable to find a mate of their own. Santiago and Demetri were the exceptions.

Apart from that, things couldn't have been more perfect around the castle. As far as I was aware, there wasn't any animosity between any of the guards, and Father's joy of having me home lasted for the entire three months since we'd arrived.

So it was with guilty consciences that Edward and I entered the throne room in early July the year of 2073. We felt bad for disrupting the joy and asking my father for permission to leave so soon after we'd come back.

Father's smile had been washed from his face, and I had never seen him look so disappointed in me. It twisted my insides to see him look at me like that–I felt the urge to disgorge of the blood I'd drunk the night before.

"Father, please don't look at me like that," I pleaded. His gaze softened a tiny bit, but it was barely noticeable.

"Isabella, I do not understand, so please, explain it to me. You came to me, not long ago, to ask for permission to leave for your mate's sake. I gave way because you vowed to me that you were happy here and that you would one day come back to me. You will never have any idea how happy I became when I saw you enter those doors the day you honored that vow. And now, you want to leave again, when you have barely had the time to be home?"

I fell down to my knees, an automatic response to display my submission to him and how guilty I felt. "Father, please," I begged. "It won't be the same this time. Yes, it's true that we won't live in the castle, but I'll be close. So close that I could be here within twenty minutes, would it be necessary."

Father looked skeptical until I explained to him that we wanted to buy a residence in Florence and that the only reason was because Edward didn't want to exploit the hospitality that had been shown to him when he was allowed to stay here. He was not a member of Father's coven, after all.

"He is practically a member, being mated to one of its leaders," Father replied to that.

"Yes, Father, but technically–"

"If he wants it to be official, he is more than welcome to join our ranks. I hope you have made him aware of that, Isabella," he continued and locked eyes with Edward, who was standing beside my kneeling form.

"Your daughter has made me aware of that plenty of times, Aro. I just feel that I can't have that sort of responsibility on my shoulders," Edward said with a sure voice. Then he added more quietly–"Not yet at least"–and my head flew to him in shock. I had never heard that before, but if he was one day prepared to join the ranks of my family, I would certainly not complain.

I directed my head back toward my father and saw a pleased smile form on his face. He had also caught the ending and was now rooted on the fact that Edward would one day join him. That news superseded the fact that I would not live with him anymore. He had once told me that he had been greatly jealous of Carlisle when he found out he'd acquired a mind reader to his coven, and now, that very mind reader would become his, instead. "Fine, then. You have my permission, on one condition."

Both Edward and I stayed silent–neither wanted to promise something we could not keep. Father continued, "Before you leave, I want to host your wedding here in Volterra."

Edward and I exchanged a look to see if both of us had heard him clearly.

_That was his condition? Well, that does not sound so bad._ I would never have entertained that thought had I known what my father had planned. So, blissfully ignorant as we were, we agreed to his condition without hesitating.

***~IV~***

_**2 years later** _

"This is ridiculous! I look like a cream cake!"

"No, you don't. You look beautiful, so shut it, Isabella," Mother ordered me with a stern, motherly look. She had been allowed to leave the tower simply because I would be there and the only other person in the room was a human tailor. Not exactly life-threatening.

I swallowed my next complaint and tried to see myself from my mother's perspective. I tilted my head to the side and studied the ivory-colored satin of my wedding dress.

"Well, at least I'm glad Father agreed with me on the color. I'm not exactly innocent enough to wear white. No one would believe me anyway." Mother cracked a smile at my joke before giving orders to the tailor, in rapid Italian, of what adjustments she wanted on the dress.

The dress itself was a beautiful masterpiece, but it was so big and lavish that it looked ridiculous, at least in my mind. It was a halter dress with a sweetheart neckline and a fully embroidered corset bodice. The skirt was poofy, had a very long train, and was embellished with embroidery all over it. The colors were ivory and gold. The dress certainly fit a royal wedding. Exactly what my father wanted.

I was also to wear satin gloves and a veil made out of organza fabric. Everything was planned strictly by Aro. As it had been revealed after Edward's and my promise to let him host the wedding, he also wanted to plan it and pay for the whole thing. Edward only argued with him on one point. He would be the one to pay for my engagement ring and our wedding bands.

My only task was to be quiet and endure it all, and of course, show up at the wedding and say 'I do.' If I'd had any say in it, I would have been more involved with my own wedding, but Aro wouldn't let me.

I raised my hand and watched the round, brilliant-cut diamonds of my engagement ring sparkle. It was made out of white gold and had rose-golden shoulders. It was incredibly beautiful, and I had fallen in love with it as soon as Edward had given it to me.

My thoughts drifted, and I wondered how Edward was at the moment being fitted for his tuxedo. He was in Florence while I was still in the castle. All precautions to keep my dress a secret to him.

"Grazie, questo è tutto." _That will be all, thank you._ Mother's dismissal of the tailor pulled me from my thoughts, and I examined my reflection. Muddy brown eyes looked back at me, courtesy of the green contacts I had put on for the tailor's sake.

"Hm, something's missing," Mother said and looked me up and down. Then she snapped her fingers as she realized what it was. "You need a tiara!"

"No. Uh-uh. I draw a line at a tiara." I had to hold the skirt of the dress up as I stepped down from the podium in front of my mirror.

"Isabella," Mother tried with a stern voice, but my mind was set.

"No, I don't want a tiara. I thought this was my wedding."

Mother sighed. "Fine, no tiara."

"Thank you." It felt good to finally have a say in something concerning my own wedding.

"What about a diadem?"

"Mother!" I actually whined.

"No, Isabella, listen to me. There's a jeweler in Florence that specializes in beautiful floral headpieces that look like real flowers. Your look would be incomplete if you didn't wear a headpiece."

If I knew my mother right, she had already taken this by Father, and if I knew my father right, he already had a diadem being made for me right that moment. So I gave in. I put my hands in the air to show that I surrendered.

"Fine." My tone was petulant, but I did not care. I didn't like being bossed around for something that involved me to the extent of my own wedding.

I stepped out of my four-and-a-half-inch ivory-colored heels from Martinez Valero, and without saying another word to my mother, I turned around so that she could unzip the dress for me and help me out of it.

After putting away the dress, Mother stood in front of me. "Isabella, don't be put out with me. I just want you to have the best."

The wedding was only two weeks away, and the last thing I wanted was to fight with my mother. I nodded. "I understand, and I know that you do it because you love me."

"I do. So much, my darling." She kissed my forehead and left me alone.

***~IV~***

I didn't understand what it was that made me so nervous. We had been planning this day for two years and nothing had gone wrong so far.

I was standing just outside the large, oak double doors that led to the throne room with Felix by my side. Since Father would be the one to perform the ceremony, I had asked Felix to be the one to give me away. He had acted like my big brother long before Aro became my father, and so it felt right that he would walk down the aisle with me.

I could hear how all the vampires inside were taking their seats while talking to those they had not seen since my coronation twenty years ago. The buzz was low, a human would not have detected it, and the mood was positive. If I focused my hearing, I could hear how Edward was talking softly to my father.

Suddenly, music started to play and a creak alerted me to the fact that the doors were about to open. Felix hooked my arm around his and squeezed my hand. I took a deep breath that was physically unnecessary before following Felix's pace down the aisle.

During the seconds it took to reach the altar that had been erected where the thrones usually stood, I was able to register every face of the guests.

The first ones I noticed were the Cullens standing upfront on the right side. It was a given they would come. Edward was still officially a member of their coven and they were his family. Of course they would want to come to his wedding.

I saw all the covens that had attended my coronation; the exception was the Denali's as they had politely declined and claimed that they had other plans. Father had been enraged by that but calmed down some when I told him that I wasn't insulted.

Among the numerous nomads, I even saw Benjamin and Tia. Benjamin's gift was still only known to us, so no covens had tried to recruit him to their group yet. From what I'd heard, he and Tia enjoyed the nomadic life and were not planning on joining another coven in the near future, if ever. This fact had made Father exhale with relief. If Benjamin fell into the wrong hands, he could so easily be turned into the weapon Amun had meant for him to become.

The guards were scattered around the masses so that they could protect from all sides should anything happen. I had hoped it wouldn't. I would never have forgiven the person that had decided to ruin my wedding.

My eyes zeroed in on Sara and Lars from Sweden. Sara was grinning widely at me. Apparently, she had taken a liking to me at my coronation. She had told me that I was the first vampire she had met that had actually gone to such lengths as to learn her language, and so I had earned her eternal respect.

Finally, my eyes landed on Edward.

His eyes were a glowing red and filled with so much happiness. His smile was wide, and he looked unbelievably handsome in his tuxedo. His tie matched my dress, and he had a white rose fastened on his jacket.

Being vampires meant that it didn't take a particularly long time to walk down the aisle, and Aro began the ceremony by welcoming the guests to witness the union between Edward and me.

Aro had first wanted the wedding to be a strictly catholic ceremony with prayers and hymn singing, but he settled with a more liberal one when I objected and told him that firstly, most of the guests did not share his faith and I did not want them to be too uncomfortable; and secondly, neither Edward nor I were religious in that way and it would feel strange to have a wedding with prayers when we did not believe in God in that concept. I knew that Edward believed that God existed, but that was also the extent of his faith.

We did, however, agree to have the traditional catholic vows, mostly for Aro's sake. For him, these things were very important.

"Edward and Isabella, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?" Aro asked us. Without breaking eye contact, we answered in unison that we had.

"Will you honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your existence?" We had to tweak the vows just a tiny bit as 'for the rest of our lives' didn't exactly fit our situation. Once again, we answered with one voice.

The next part, being where Aro was supposed to ask us if we would accept the children God gave us through our marriage, we skipped altogether and went on to the individual vows.

"Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God," Aro continued and indicated that Edward was to begin.

Edward held out his hand for me to clasp and spoke with a sure voice. "I, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, take you, Isabella Marie Volturi, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my existence."

Aro turned to me and nodded for me to respond. "I, Isabella Marie Volturi, take you, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my existence."

"You have declared your consent before these witnesses. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide. Amen."

"Amen," Edward and I responded quietly. Not once had we taken our eyes off each other. It was like it was physically impossible. In his eyes, I could see every emotion going through him in the purest of ways. I knew that this was what Edward had always wanted for us. Even though being mates made our relationship very much official, he still enjoyed how being married declared to others how I was his both spiritually and physically.

"The rings, please," Aro requested and held out his hand for the wedding bands. I studied the two rings in my father's hand while he blessed them. My wedding ring was a band that matched my engagement ring. Edward's ring was, like mine, a combination of white and rose gold. The rose gold was in the middle of the white and wrapped around the whole ring. It was simple and beautiful, but still masculine.

"Lord, bless and consecrate _Edward_ and _Isabella_ in their love for each other. May these rings be a symbol of true faith in each other and always remind them of their love. Through Christ our Lord." Aro held his hand out to each of us to take the others ring.

Edward gently took my hand, removed my satin glove, and placed my ring on my left ring finger. "Isabella, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

I turned our hands over and slid Edward's ring onto his finger. "Edward, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Aro cupped both of his hands around our joined ones and finished with the classic, "With the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Edward, you may kiss the bride." He took a step back, and Edward leaned in slowly to capture my mouth with his in a searing kiss.

Even if marriage had never been particularly high on my list of things I wanted to do, I would not have it undone when it created the complete happiness I saw on Edward's face when we broke apart.

Our wedding was followed by a lavish reception. Gifts were opened, music was played, and couples danced for hours. I also knew that had it not tasted disgusting to drink blood from any source except from the body itself, it would have been served to the guests.

I changed out of my wedding dress for the reception, just so I would be able to move without making others walk in a perimeter around me. The new dress was just as beautiful as the first, but this one was beautiful in its simplicity instead. It was a Greek-style dress made out of chiffon. The skirt was floor-length, and the straps were in a sort of a V-shape, the point being on the right side of the sweetheart neckline. It was breezy and light, and if I'd had more to say in the planning of my own wedding, this would have been more the style of dress I would have wanted to get married in.

The reception lasted well into the next morning even though the guests had become fewer in number the longer it lasted. The ones that lingered were the Swedes, the Cullens, and most of the nomads. Sara came up me in the early hours of the morning and we talked for a while. Mostly she had questions about what Edward and I were planning to do now.

"Ska jag börja kalla dig för Fru Cullen nu då?" _Should I start calling you Mrs. Cullen now then?_ she asked in a teasing tone.

I shook my head with a small smile. "Edward och jag bestämde oss för att om jag skulle ta något utav hans namn så skulle det bli Masen." _Edward and I decided that if I would take his name, it would be Masen._

"Varför inte Cullen?" _Why not Cullen?_

I glanced at the Cullens. Carlisle was speaking to Aro with Esme by his side and the rest of the family behind him. Emmett threw continuous glances at Felix and Santiago, and I knew that he was just dying to measure strength with them. He would lose, of course. Felix and Santiago had too much fighting experience for him to win. Jasper and Alice were in a conversation with Anastasiya, the nomadic pyrokinetic from Russia, and Jade, the Australian telekinetic. They were pretty intrigued with their gifts as it was highly unusual for a vampire to control physical elements.

I shifted my eyes to where Edward stood with Demetri, and I smiled. I loved how he now got along with my brothers so well. Without taking my eyes off the two men, I answered Sara. "Det skulle inte ha känts rätt att använda efternamnet som är associerat med en klan som jag inte har någon lojalitet emot." _It wouldn't have felt right to use the last name that's associated with a coven I don't have any loyalty toward._

"Men Edward använder ju Cullen." _But Edward uses Cullen._ Sara was confused, and it was understandable. It was quite the situation we were in.

"Precis som jag kommer fortsätta använda Volturi. Jag kommer att lägga till Masen så att jag heter Isabella Marie Masen Volturi. Min privata titel blir Fru Masen medans min klan titel blir Isabella Volturi," _Just like I'll continue using Volturi._ _I'll add Masen, so my name will be Isabella Marie Masen Volturi. My private title will be Mrs. Masen while my coven title will be Isabella Volturi,_ I explained.

"Oh, då förstår jag." _Oh, then I understand._

I smiled at Sara, said goodbye and walked up to my husband. He opened up his arms for me, and I leaned into his embrace. He was still talking to Demetri and warmth spread through me when I saw my brother smile at the display of affection between us.

When there was a break in their conversation, I told Edward that I thought we should tell Father it was time for us to leave. He agreed, and ten minutes later, Edward and I were in a car going in the direction of Florence and our new home.

***~IV~***

I shivered with pleasure when Edward's fingers started to unbutton my dress while he kissed my neck and shoulders. I stopped breathing when his hands slid around my waist and traced upward to cup my breasts.

I giggled when I felt him using his teeth to pull down the straps of my dress, and he growled playfully in my ear. "Wouldn't it be easier to use your hands?" I breathed out. Edward raised his head and nuzzled his nose into my hair.

"It would, but where's the fun in that?" he whispered in my ear in a husky voice, and I shivered again. No other man would ever be able to make me feel the way Edward did. All the sensations that went through my body when we were intimate were impossible to put into words.

I had no idea what sex felt like for humans, but I was pretty damn sure that a human would die of heart failure if they experienced the same passionate emotions and pure pleasure that rushed through two mated vampires when they became one.

Edward placed his hand on my shoulder and turned me so that I was facing him. My dress was still covering me and now Edward used his hands to remove it slowly. Every inch of skin that was exposed, he treated with an open-mouthed kiss, giving some extra attention to my breasts, sucking each nipple into his mouth through the fabric of my bra. I moaned loudly, buried my hands in his hair and pulled. Edward groaned against my skin, and the vibrations enhanced the pleasure, causing me to pull on his hair even harder.

Finally, my dress pooled around my feet. Edward was kneeling before me, his hands on my hips, and his eyes gazing at me through long lashes. He was so perfect; it almost hurt to look at him. And he was mine. Only mine.

My instincts flared up and told me to show my mate exactly how much he was mine, but I quickly pushed them down. This night was not supposed to be about claiming. This was our wedding night, and for once, I wanted our night to be filled with love-making. I didn't want fast and impatient. I wanted slow, sensual, and worshipping. So I let Edward set the pace. He had always been able to control himself in a way I never could. I admired him immensely for it.

Edward's eyes glowed even brighter when he realized that I was going to allow him to take it slow. A blinding smile grazed his lips, and he softly whispered how incredibly beautiful I was against my stomach. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back when he started to kiss all over my skin again.

"Edward?"

"Mmhm?"

"I don't want it to be only about me tonight." Edward was the most generous lover there could be. He always took care of me first and very rarely asked for anything in return. Well, I was going to break that unwritten rule tonight.

Edward did not stop kissing my stomach. "You don't have to do anything," he mumbled, and my eyes flew open. I knelt down so that we were level with each other and cupped his face with both of my hands.

"I'm serious. This is your wedding night too, you know." I removed my hands from his face and started to peel off the layers of clothing he was wearing. Edward studied me the whole time, but I did not stop until he was only in his underwear. I lightly ran my hand through the sprinkle of chest hair before letting my fingers trace down lower.

Edward shivered and captured my mouth with his in a toe-curling kiss. His tongue ran over my lower lip softly, and I moaned. He took that as encouragement and pushed his tongue into my mouth where we started to fight for dominance.

Our hands traced all over each other in a slow pace. We were not in a rush, and it enhanced the feeling even more when Edward's thumb rubbed my nipple through the lacy fabric of the bra I was wearing. _"Oh, Edward,"_ I thought, and a thrill went through me when he groaned in response. No matter how many times he had been allowed to read my thoughts since we were reunited, it still got to him every time, probably because I never had my shield down permanently. It was still a privilege for him to be let into my head.

It had absolutely nothing to do with me wanting to keep secrets from my husband. I just liked having my mind to myself sometimes.

Our underwear joined the rest of our clothes on the floor then, and Edward unexpectedly pulled me into his arms, which caused me to squeal in surprise as he carried me bridal style to the huge bed that was situated in our new bedroom.

We had decided that it was quite unnecessary for us to have a honeymoon since we were living away from our covens anyway. Father had, however, promised that he would not call for me during a period of two weeks.

Edward had told me that Esme had offered for us to use an island of hers for our honeymoon. I knew that it was sort of a peace offering from her, but we declined anyway. If we'd used the island, I would have felt like I was in her debt and I did not like that feeling one bit. So we stayed in Florence.

Lying on the bed on our sides, I decided to make good on my silent promise and pushed gently on Edward's shoulder to make him roll over onto his back. He knew what I was doing and opened his mouth to protest, but I silenced him by putting my hand over his mouth.

"Shh, I want to do this." I held my eye contact with him until he nodded. I smiled at his antics. He loved it when I put my mouth on him, and still, he never asked in fear that I would be insulted. I giggled at his expression. "You stupid, beautiful man," I said. "You're my husband now, and I never want you to feel like you can't ask me for what gives you pleasure, okay?"

I felt how he smiled beneath my hand, and another giggle escaped me when he removed his hands from my body and put them behind his neck. I took that as an encouragement to continue, so I removed my hand from his mouth and started to make a trail of kisses from his jaw and all the way down to his hipbone. He twitched slightly when I lightly bit down on the place where his leg met his hip.

I leaned away from him for a few seconds and laughed softly at his expression when he realized that I'd stopped. I loved teasing him, but when he rose up on his elbows to look at me, I took him fully into my mouth. He fell back against the pillows with a loud groan. His hands fisted the sheets almost to their tearing point. I could even hear a few threads snap.

After a few minutes, I felt him tense up and knew he was close. He tried to get me to stop, but I did not give in. Instead, I slid my hands up to his abdomen and raked my nails down to his hips.

" _Jesus_ , Isabella," he exclaimed when he finally let go.

Pleased with my accomplishment, I crawled back up so that we were once again face to face. He put his arms around me and hugged me tightly to his chest.

"When my brain starts functioning again, I'll reciprocate," he said, causing me to laugh.


	15. Chapter 15

**Credit for all Italian translations goes to LaMomo.**

**Credit for all Portuguese translations goes to myworldisblue.**

**Credit for the Greek translation goes to So Gian on facebook.**

**Chapter was beta'd by Project Team Beta.**

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 15**

After pressing the end button on the phone, I took a few seconds to let the news sink in.

I couldn't say that I was surprised–all of us knew that this day would come eventually. It was already planned to happen, just not yet.

I was still standing with the phone in my hand when Edward came up behind me and turned me so that I faced him. "What is it, love?"

I sighed deeply and closed my eyes. I put the phone down as gently as possible–I didn't want to risk breaking it. "Adriana was bitten today. She's changing as we speak."

Edward frowned in confusion. "Why are you so upset? I thought it was already planned."

"Yes, it is, but it wasn't supposed to happen now."

"Does it matter?" This was one of those times when I wished Edward knew a bit more about my coven, but as he was not a full member of the Volturi, he wasn't in the know when it came to coven business. It sure would have made this a lot easier if it had not been necessary for me to explain.

"You don't understand. It's two months early, which means that it was not Aro that bit her. I would bet my arm that it was Felix."

Edward still looked confused. I did not have the time to explain the situation thoroughly since I had been summoned to the castle, but I did my best anyway. "Edward, Aro or one of the brothers are always the ones to change a new member of the coven. They do it as a way to reassure themselves that the new member will be loyal to them since they'd be bound together by blood and venom. If Felix was the one who bit Adriana himself, he's practically broken one of the household rules. Aro's probably furious."

Understanding dawned on Edward's face. "So that phone call–"

"Was Marcus telling me that Adriana's been bitten, and I need to be present for a punishment of one of our guards," I finished for him and swallowed thickly. I did not like the thought of having to punish my own brother, but he did break one of our rules, and so he had to be punished.

Edward started to run his hands over my bare shoulders in a soothing gesture, but I was too distressed. "I have to go change," I said and stepped away from him. I had to become emotionally detached as fast as possible and not think of Felix as my brother but as my guard.

I walked as fast as possible to the master bedroom without exposing myself to the servants that wandered around the house constantly. I had complained profusely to Aro when he told me about the servants. My house was supposed to be my sanctuary–the place where I could be myself with my husband and not have to think about humans for a while. But Aro had made a valid point when he said that people would get suspicious if we bought a house as big as this without hiring servants to help us maintain it.

I still did not like it, though, so Aro told me to keep the servants for six months before firing them. I only had another month to endure it.

I often wondered why I listened to my father so much, why I let him decide so much in my life. Then I remembered how long he'd lived and how wise he actually was. He knew exactly how to keep the humans unsuspicious, so I took his advice.

The house we lived in was too big for only two people, but it had also become a sort of extension of the castle in Volterra. It had been decided that all festive events would take place in this house. The castle would be used strictly for business.

The property was humongous, spread out over eighty-five thousand square feet, forty-four and a half acres of grounds surrounding it, plus a seven-thousand-five-hundred square foot fruit orchard with a five-thousand square foot greenhouse.

Not only was there the main villa, there was also a servants' villa, a guest villa, a reception area, and various other small houses and sheds spread over the entire thing.

So, yes, it was very grand, but also incredibly beautiful. The exterior was still in the style of the sixteenth or seventeenth century, which I think was when the house was built while the interior had been remade into a more eighteenth-century style.

In the five months that Edward and I had lived here, we'd made the place into our home. At least the wing we used personally. The rest of the house still looked kind of museum-like with religious paintings on the ceilings, marble floors, and mahogany staircases.

Once inside the bedroom, I opened the double doors that led to the huge walk-in closet. The room had been remodeled to hold all of our clothes. I was pretty sure that even Alice's chin would have dropped to the floor if she saw this closet because it looked like a private two-story boutique. A chandelier hung from the ceiling and the walls were covered with shelves and racks filled with shoes and clothes.

I quickly picked out a black, fully lined, three-quarter sleeved, business dress with a fitted stretch crepe skirt. I put my hair into a smooth, low bun and finished the look off with black pumps and my crest necklace.

I walked back into the sitting room where Edward still stood and gave him a small kiss on the mouth. "I don't know how long I'll be gone."

Edward gave me a small smile. "Yeah, I know that by now. Just come home when you can."

"Always." I gave him another kiss before grabbing my cloak that hung over one of the lounging chairs. I carefully exited the house, making sure that I remained in the shadows all the way to the edge of trees that surrounded the garden. Once covered by the trees, I started to run at full speed toward Volterra.

I kept the cloak off until I arrived outside the castle. It had only been thirty minutes since I had gotten the call from Marcus, but I still felt as if I should hurry. I went toward the throne room where I knew they were waiting for me.

Father was pacing back and forth with a stormy expression etched on his face. He looked up when I entered. "You surely took your time, Isabella," he said with a displeased tone.

For once I did not cower under his stare. His servants had been the cause of my delay, and he knew it. "I apologize, Father, but the servants you insisted on slowed me down considerably." I raised my eyebrow at him, but he did not move a muscle. He just kept staring at me until the door to our right was opened and Felix stepped inside with his head lowered.

A surge went through me as the last of my hope that it wasn't Felix disappeared. I did not show how I felt, though. Instead, I walked up to stand next to my father. Felix raised his head and looked at me, but he could see that this was one of those times where I was his Mistress and not his sister.

Father told Felix the reason for his punishment before he called for counsel between the four of us. We decided that his rule break wasn't severe enough for a hard punishment, so he was suspended from guard duty for two months. Some might have thought that it did not count as punishment, but this suspension would cause him to lose some of the respect from the other guards, and that would take quite a while to build up again.

Afterward, Felix went in the direction of the room that Adriana was in. I quickly followed him, having a few questions to ask. I caught up with him outside of the door. High screams came from within, and I saw how Felix cringed. "Why?" I simply asked him and stared into his eyes. He knew exactly what I was referring to.

He scrubbed his hands over his face. "I don't know. I didn't plan it, it just happened."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Felix closed his eyes. He looked thoroughly ashamed of what he was about to tell me. "Adriana and I were in the reception when she, out of nowhere, kissed me." He opened his eyes and exhaled harshly. "You know that I haven't done anything with her yet because I'm afraid to hurt her, but when her mouth touched mine, something took over me. I couldn't control it. The next thing I consciously knew was that I had buried my teeth into her neck." He threw his hands in the air in a gesture to show that he clearly did not know what to do.

He looked so destroyed; I just had to hug him. "I feel so guilty. Aro gave his permission for her to join us and this is how I thank him?" he mumbled into my neck.

"Shhh! It wasn't your fault. It was instinctual," I reassured him. When I leaned away from him, I looked into his eyes questioningly. "But why didn't you tell us this before? I know Father would have understood."

Felix shook his head. "I deserved the punishment. I should have been able to control myself. I acted like a newborn. I know better than to let my instincts take over me like that."

"No, you don't." I put my hands on Felix' face when he refused to look at me. "Felix, the instincts that come with being mated are completely new to you. They caught you off guard and you couldn't help but to act on them."

He still did not listen to me. "Don't downplay it. Edward was in the exact same position that I was in when he met you, and he never attacked you." He was determined to put this entire thing on himself. His tone told me that he was not open for anything but his own explanation.

"You can't compare yourself with Edward. When Edward met me, he had been denying his instincts for seventy-five years." A particularly high scream made us look at the door that separated Felix and Adriana. For a second, Felix' expression changed so that it looked like he was the one burning. I knew he ached to be with Adriana, but Aro never allowed anyone inside the room during the transformation. He said that it strengthened one's psyche if one went through it alone. "I'll get Alec," I said without taking my eyes off the door. I didn't care what Father said. The transformation was the worst thing a vampire would ever experience, and I had always envied Alice who had no memory of the event. She was lucky in that way. With Alec's help, we would be able to ease Adriana's pain.

When the night fell, I decided to call Edward and tell him to come to the castle instead of me going back home–I would just have to get back here when Adriana 'woke up' anyway–and I felt that I had to be there for Felix at the moment.

I had told my father and uncles about what truly happened with Felix and they did understand. They also respected that Felix would still take his punishment without complaint.

During the last minutes of Adriana's transformation, I was right by Felix' side, holding his hand tightly in mine. Edward was with us, explaining to Felix that Adriana did not think badly of him for changing her.

Felix was a complete mess. I had never seen him so unhinged before.

As soon as Adriana's heart stopped beating, he unlocked the door and went inside. I slowly followed, making sure that my facial expression was passive before coming into Adriana's line of sight. It had been decided that I would be the leader that made the rules clear to Adriana, as she was the first changed after my joining of the family. I had not wanted to do it, but Father insisted.

Adriana was sitting up in the bed with Felix hovering above her, her face cradled in his hands. She cautiously turned her head when she heard my entrance. Her face did not give her thoughts away, but with Edward by my side, I knew she must have been thinking about me when a low growl emitted from his chest.

"I would not entertain those thoughts if I were you, little girl," I warned with a sugar-sweet voice that did not disguise my authority.

Adriana quickly averted her gaze, but when she did, the most peculiar thing happened. The condensation on the window started to move toward its center until it created a small amount of water that slowly dripped down the glass. With a sizzle, it evaporated into steam.

My eyes widened in complete shock when I looked between Adriana and the window. I was a hundred percent sure that what just happened had something to do with the girl on the bed. Felix had not noticed anything as his eyes were for Adriana only, but Edward and I exchanged a look that said I had to run this by the brothers.

When the couple on the bed turned toward us, I had arranged my facial expression into a passive stone mask again. I ordered Adriana to follow me to the basement where her meal was to take place.

When everything was settled, I hurried toward the throne room with Edward by my side. We burst through the doors to find the brothers engaged in a conversation with Demetri, Jane, and Alec. They were about to go out on a mission.

"Take Santiago with you. You need some muscle now that Felix is suspended," I heard Marcus' advice before the three disappeared. Father looked up at us and frowned at our appearance. I was sure we both looked pretty flustered because that's how I felt, at least. I felt as if I'd run a marathon.

If Adriana possessed a gift–and a gift as powerful as I suspected it to be–it could mean a huge uplift for the Volturi guard.

"What is the matter, my dear?" Father asked. I strode up to him, lifted my shield, and showed him what we'd just witnessed. At the same time, Edward explained it to Caius and Marcus. When we finished, I voiced my suspicion.

"She's hydrokinetic. I don't know how powerful yet, but she definitely has a physical gift."

"Incredible," Aro breathed out.

"Who should we assign as her trainer?" I asked. We only had one other in the coven that possessed a physical gift and it still wasn't the same kind as Adriana's. Marcus' ability counted as physical as what he saw wasn't an illusion.

Everyone stayed quiet as no one knew who should train Adriana. We were at a loss.

"Can you take someone in from the outside?" Edward asked.

"It would complicate things, but it's definitely possible. Why? Do you have someone special in mind?" All four of us directed our attention to Edward.

He shrugged. "The most qualified person would be someone that has a gift similar to hers, right?" We all nodded. "Well, then wouldn't Anastasiya be the best?"

A few seconds passed as we let that sink in. I grabbed Edward's head and pulled him down for a hard kiss. "You are brilliant," I said against his mouth. Of course the Russian pyrokinetic would be best. It was so obvious that none of us saw it. "We should contact her immediately."

"Yes, we certainly should," Aro agreed while he studied Edward speculatively. Edward must have heard his thoughts, for he stiffened for a second as he looked at my father, but then quickly relaxed again. I had absolutely no idea what that was about, but I knew that if it was important, Edward would tell me once we were back home in Florence. I would never nag him about telling me everything that went through his head. He was allowed to have his secrets, just like I was allowed to have mine. If he wanted to tell me, he would.

***~IV~***

I slammed the door almost hard enough for it to break when I entered the house. I was furious, and I needed to take the anger out on something.

Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw how he looked at her so adoringly, and it made me sick to my core. Why did he look at her like that? Wasn't it enough that I disliked her before?

I tore off my cloak and threw it on the floor before I ran up to the second floor. I found Edward in the library. He was sitting behind his desk with two books in front of him and a notebook in which he wrote occasionally. I did not know what he was doing and I was too angry to ask him.

When he heard my angry entrance, he looked up from his notes. "Did something happen at the castle?" he asked with a worried expression.

"No! Whatever would make you say that?" My tone was laced with heavy sarcasm, but Edward did not let it get to him. He was used to it after a year of marriage. He gently closed both of his books before rising up from his chair and walking up to me.

"Won't you tell me?" he asked in a very persuading tone.

"No," I said and crossed my arms across my chest. "I won't tell you because nothing happened."

"But if nothing happened, then why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset!"

Edward raised an eyebrow before shrugging and going back to his books. I knew the trick he used, but it still annoyed me that he could get to me like that. He knew me too well.

"Fine! I just don't get what's so special with Adriana, okay," I exclaimed. Edward once again closed his books. He moved the chair back and opened his arms so that I could sit down in his lap. I thankfully climbed up and snuggled into my husband.

He gently started to stroke my hair and I immediately felt a lot better. "What happened this time?" he asked with a soft voice. That he talked so quietly had nothing to do with anyone overhearing us–we had not had any servants in the house for seven months–but he knew how much it soothed me when he talked so that only I would be able to hear.

"Only the same, really. I know that it doesn't really mean anything, but I just don't like it when Father looks at her like that. I remember when he looked at me like that. Now he doesn't as often anymore. It just gets to me."

During the eight months that Adriana had been a vampire, she had weaseled her way into everyone's hearts. Everybody liked her. Even I liked her. Sometimes. I guess that I just couldn't stop myself from thinking about when I first joined the coven and how long it took before people started to accept me fully. They liked me, sure, but it took quite some time before I was fully accepted as one of them. For Adriana, it had barely taken a month.

Anastasiya left Volterra about two months back when she deemed Adriana to be fully trained in her gift. She said that Adriana was one of the most powerful vampires she'd ever met.

Yeah, I did not like hearing that.

Adriana could influence anything that contained pure water. Snow, clouds, fog, rain, ice, hail, anything! Her only limit was that she could only handle six-hundred-thousand gallons of water at the same time, and then it was a strain for her. With that amount of water, she could create waves, waterfalls, and even walls of water if she concentrated.

As far as we knew, she was even more powerful with water than Benjamin was. We had never personally witnessed Benjamin use his powers, but from what Aro had told us from Amun's thoughts, Adriana was just slightly more advanced, something that elated Aro to no end.

"Isabella, you have absolutely no reason to be jealous of Adriana. If anything, she should be jealous of you. You are one of the leaders of the Volturi coven, the most powerful coven in the world. Why should you feel threatened by a guard? It's not like she can take your place." Edward's arms tightened around me, and I started to draw random patterns on his shirt.

"I guess you're right."

"Love, I know I'm right. Aro loves you. You're his daughter and nothing could ever replace seventy-one years of loyalty. Your loyalty toward your father has never wavered. Not once, and if I remember correctly, I believe that you, once upon a time, said that Aro values loyalty above everything else."

He was right. Like usual.

I tilted my head backward and looked him in the eye. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"Of course I do. You love me almost as much as I love you." He winked at me and I laughed. This was usually how we concluded things. He knew very well that our love for each other was equal, but we did love to tease each other from time to time.

The sun changed position and started to shine right through our window. I looked out and focused my eyes on the pool in the yard.

"What do you say about taking a swim with me?"

Edward smiled widely. "I'd say that I wouldn't want to do anything else."

I untangled myself so that I could walk to the master bedroom and fetch a bathing suit, but Edward stopped me before I could take a single step. He scoped me up in his arms and ran outside. The sun reflected off our skin, but we were not worried. The vegetation around the yard was too thick and the house was situated three miles from the heart of Florence. No humans were around, so we were completely safe.

"It's not necessary for you to cover yourself for me. It's not like I haven't seen you before," Edward whispered in my ear, referring to the fact that I was going to get a bathing suit. It was not until then that I realized that I had left my shield completely down and Edward had been able to read my every thought since I first entered his hearing range.

"Why didn't you tell me I left it down?" My tone was playfully accusive.

Edward chuckled. "Why would I? Your thoughts are too entertaining to deprive myself of them."

I lightly hit his chest. I pretended that I was put out with him, but my shield was still down, now consciously so, and he knew that I was just playing him.

We reached the pool and he set me down on my feet, but he kept his arms around me. He lifted me from the ground so that my feet dangled as he kissed me deeply. His tongue licked my bottom lip, asking for permission to enter, which I gladly gave him.

The sun was warm on my face and I enjoyed every second of it.

Suddenly, we were falling sideways right into the pool. We were still fully clothed and I knew that Edward did that on purpose. When I broke the surface, I saw Edward grinning at me. "Oh, you are in big trouble now, mister."

I dove under the surface and pulled on his leg so that he was on the same level as me. He was still smiling at me as he pulled me against his chest underneath the water.

We played in the water for hours. The night fell and we climbed out to just sit underneath the starlit sky. I was completely content as I leaned my head against my husband's shoulder and admired the glimmering lights in the black night. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

One thing was for sure after the afternoon I'd shared with Edward. My thoughts were nowhere near Adriana at that moment.

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

_**9 years later** _

I was pulled from my thoughts when the big double doors were opened and Edward stepped inside the room, all dressed in black. His pale skin and red eyes contrasted dramatically with the color of his clothes. He was insanely handsome.

My hands tightened into fists around the fabric I was holding. I quickly released it. My long, sharp nails could make holes in the fabric, and I did not want to destroy it.

Father opened up his arms and announced the reason for our gathering before directing Edward to come forward. He walked with sure and confident steps up to the thrones and knelt down in front of us.

Aro walked up to Edward and put his hand on his head. "Edward, do you promise to be forever loyal to the Volturi?"

"I do."

"And will you, Edward, uphold our laws and values by punishing those that deserve it?" Caius' hand joined Aro's.

"I will." With every vow that Edward agreed with, warmth spread through me. I felt completely filled with it.

"Do you promise to protect what we all hold dear inside of these walls?" Marcus' voice had considerably changed since I'd pledged my loyalty to them. During my ceremony, his voice had been monotonous and bored; now, it was filled with authority and dedication. I was so glad that my uncle had finally come to life again. He would always feel incomplete without Didyme, but by talking about the tragedy that had plagued his life for so long, he had come to realize that his late wife would never have forgiven him if he were to shorten his own life.

"I do."

I walked up to my husband and placed my hand over the others on his head. "Will you serve us willingly for as long as you shall live?" The vow I made him take had been tweaked quite a bit since this ceremony was a bit different from when a guard was to join the coven. Edward would not become a guard. He would become a counselor and an honorary family member. Since I was one of the coven's leaders, I would never leave. Edward's marriage to me meant that he wouldn't be able to leave either. His vow of serving us as long as he would live was like a renewal of his vow to stay with me.

"I will."

"Autos o andras exei iposxethei tin afosiosi/ pisti tou stin omada, tin oikogeneia kai tous frourous. Ton kalosorizoume me anoixtes agkales kai xoris prokatalipseis. Tha ton kanete na aisthanthei san enas apo emas didaskontas tou tous dikous mas tropous?" _This man has pledged his loyalty to this coven, the family, and its guard. We welcome him with open arms and without prejudices. Will you make him feel like one of us by teaching him our ways?_ I thought back to my own ceremony, when I had absolutely no idea of what Father had said in Greek, and I smiled. The customary 'Yes' in all the languages of the guard rang out and Father gestured for me to drape the cloak over Edward's shoulders.

When I had resumed my spot between my father and mother, Edward rose on Aro's command. He fastened the buckle on Edward's cloak and gestured for me to continue. I walked back up to Edward and grabbed his right arm. I gently removed the bracelet that had the Cullen crest on it and put it in his hand. Then I reached into my pocket and presented my husband with the Volturi crest necklace. He ducked his head, and I put the necklace around his neck.

When his eyes met mine again, I gave him a small but passionate kiss. "Welcome to the Volturi Coven, Edward."

**THE END**

* * *

_**This story went through an online beta program and had all minor mistakes corrected on 18/02/2016** _


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